Rhoads Memorial Archives Research Policies
Use of Archival Materials
Permission to examine archival material will be granted to researchers at the discretion of the archivist. Researchers will be required to fill out a Researcher Registration form and sign to acknowledge their agreement to abide by the rules stated therein, which are discussed more fully below. Permission is subject to any restrictions that may have been placed on the material by the donor. Certain records, such as personnel files and alumni records of living persons, are never available for research. The Archives reserves the right to refuse access to its collection or any portion thereof.
Handling Archival Materials
• A researcher is responsible for the safeguarding of any materials made available to him/her.
• Researchers may not remove materials from the Archives for any purpose or rearrange the order in which they are delivered. If materials appear to be out of order, they will bring this to the attention of the archivist.
• Researchers may use only one folder from one box at a time.
• Where photocopies exist, they must be used instead of the originals, unless use of the original is justified.
• Only pencils may be used for note-taking. Ink may permanently damage archival materials.
• Documents may not be leaned on, written on, folded, or handled in any way likely to damage them.
• White cotton gloves must be worn by researchers when handling unprotected photographs, negatives, or fragile documents or textiles.
• Eating and drinking are prohibited in the Archives.