Use of Special Collections Materials

The Special Collections Department of the Florida State University Libraries house original, rare, unique, and valuable materials in a variety of formats. These items are generally non-circulating. To insure the security and preservation of these materials, the following policies are implemented:

Access to Materials

Materials are stored in closed stacks and retrieved by staff upon request for use in designated reading rooms.
Materials may be held for continued use by an individual or class over a period of days or weeks.
Research requests concerning collection materials received by telephone, mail, or email from non-FSU researchers will be answered as time and resources permit.
Requests for course descriptions should be directed to the Office of the Registrar. See their web page at http://registrar.fsu.edu/services/acad_pub/apdefault.htm

Reading Room Security

Patrons must register and provide photo identification (university identification card, driver’s license, or equivalent) before requesting materials.
Patrons must secure briefcases, bookbags, etc. in lockers or other areas provided for that purpose.
Patrons may use only loose sheets of paper, note cards, pencils(no pens), or laptop computers in the reading room. Tape recorders may be permitted if no other patrons are disturbed by their use.
Patrons may use only 5 books or 1 box (or 1 folder depending on content) of manuscript materials at a time. Faculty or graduate students engaged in extended research projects may be permitted to use a larger number of books at one time.
Materials should be returned at least five (5) minutes before closing time to permit records to be cleared.

Reproduction and Publication of Materials

Permission to photocopy, scan, or photograph materials for personal use must be requested before any such activity is done. Permission to publish such materials is not granted by permission to reproduce.

Limited photocopying, digital reproduction, or photographic reproduction of materials may be permitted when it can be done without injury to materials and does not violate donor agreements or copyright laws. No flash bulbs, flash attachments, or personal scanners may be used. Permission to scan entire books or manuscript collections will not be granted.

Permission to publish materials from the collections must be requested in writing from the Director of the Florida State University Libraries.

Loan of Materials

Permission to loan items from the collections is made by the Department Head on a case by case basis.

Guidelines for the Handling of Materials

In order to preserve and protect materials for future use, patrons are asked to follow these guidelines when handling materials from the collections. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in denial of access to materials.

Reformatted Surrogates

Patrons are requested to use digital or microformat surrogates if available to help preserve fragile original documents.

Handling of Materials

Make sure hands are clean and oil-free.
Cotton gloves will be provided and must be worn when handling some materials.
Avoid marking on, leaning on, writing on top of, folding, stacking, or tracing over materials.
Avoid touching the printed text or handwritten words, illustrations, color plates, photographic images, or negatives with objects or hands.
Turn pages and unfold folded pages carefully to avoid tears or other damage.
Refrain from turning books face down which may damage the spine.
Book cradles or other support devices will be provided for use with large or heavy volumes to avoid damage to the spines.
Notify staff of uncut pages to be opened, or about pins, rusty staples, or other items that must be removed.
Mark your place in the materials only with archival strips provided by staff.
Do not use self-adhesive paper, paper clips, rubber bands, etc. in contact with the materials.

Interlibrary Loan Materials Restricted to Use In Special Collections

Items on loan from other libraries and restricted to use in Special Collections may be subject to restrictions imposed by the lending institution. Exceptions can be granted only by the lender.