Manuscripts and Archives: Requesting Services

Access | Reading Room Policies and Procedures | Copying Policies | Publication Policy

Access

The Manuscripts and Archives Department is open 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, by appointment only. (See the directions on this site for information on how to get here.) The material in this department does not circulate, and most of it is stored off-site. Therefore, it is necessary to make an appointment with the curator (617.496.5153) at least two business days in advance in order to view a collection. Once you have identified a collection you are interested in seeing (see How to Use the Manuscripts and Archives Collections), you may request it via phone or email. If you have questions about a collection or if you want to inquire about obtaining photocopies of materials or other services, please contact the curator.

Reading Room Policies and Procedures

Most of the material in this department is unique, and much of it is fragile. Therefore, we have certain procedures that we ask patrons to follow when working with the collections. You will be asked to sign both a registration form and a handling form before viewing any of the collections. You will also be asked to put your belongings in a locker, and to take into the reading room only what you will need to do research. Pens are not permitted, and you will be provided with pencils in order to take notes. Laptop computers are allowed, but scanners are not permitted in the reading room. We try to maintain a quiet atmosphere for study and research, and we ask researchers to respect that, and to keep conversation to a minimum while working with the collections.

Photocopying and Photography

Under current U.S. Copyright Law, it is permissible to photocopy material from manuscript and archival collections as long as the purpose of the copying meets certain criteria. (see Section 108 of the current law.) Patrons of the Manuscripts and Archives Department who come in person to examine collections are allowed to do their own photocopying. They are also required to sign a copyright form stating that the copies they make will be used for personal or research purposes only (see publication policy below).

Cameras that do not employ the use of a flash may be used in the reading room. Please discuss the use of your camera with the curator before proceeding to photograph any documents. 

In order to protect the privacy of individuals or corporate bodies, this department reserves the right to restrict copying of sensitive materials. The collections in this department also contain many records which are fragile, and the department reserves the right to restrict the copying of these kinds of materials. It is also not our policy to allow any one collection to be copied in its entirety.

As is noted on our handling form, patrons should first check with the curator before copying any documents. The procedure for copying as outlined in this form should be followed.  Copying done by patrons may not exceed three hours.

Charges for photocopying manuscript material:

The charge is 10 cents per copy for patrons who are doing their own copying. The copy machine in this department accepts Crimson Cash cards, Harvard IDs with Crimson Cash value added, and bills and coins. Copies are $0.10 per page, using cash, and $0.07 per page, using Crimson Cash. Crimson Cash cards are available for purchase at the circulation desk. Value may be added to a Harvard ID card or a Crimson Cash card by credit card on the Crimson Cash website or at Crimson Cash VTS machines at other University locations. If you use change, please bring one dollar bills or enough change to do your copying. It is difficult for us to provide patrons with change.

If you are unable to come in and view a collection, you may contact this department to inquire about having material copied for you. This office relies on student assistants to do photocopying, so copying is completed as time allows. For patrons who request copy orders to be done for them, the charge is:

• 20 cents a copy for the first 50 sheets 
• 30 cents a copy for 50 to 100 sheets
• Orders above 100 sheets will usually be sent to Harvard Imaging Services 
• There is also a handling charge of $10.00 for any order of 50 sheets or less going anywhere in the continental United States. The handling charge for larger orders will vary. The handling charge for copy orders going overseas will vary, depending on the weight of the package and its destination, but the minimum handling charge for an overseas copy order is $15.00.  
• An invoice and copyright statement is sent to the patron with the completed copy order, and the copyright form should be signed and mailed back with payment. Payment should be made by a personal check or postal money order. We do not accept credit cards.

Copying material in other formats:

Photographs (and other kinds of images) may be copied under certain circumstances. See the Digital Reproduction Policy for further information. It may also be possible to reproduce audiotapes, videotapes, and film. Contact the curator for further information.

Publication Policy

Permission to publish any material from the collections must be given to the patron in writing from the curator. Publication is defined as any quotation used in a book, article, website, or doctoral dissertation. It is the responsibility of the patron using this quoted material to verify that its publication is not an infringement of copyright.