Special Collections: How-To Research & Access

1. Ask if you can take pictures

Using your own phone, tablet or digital camera while visiting is the fastest way to get a copy of items from Special Collections

• There is no fee (beyond your time) for taking your own photos while visiting
• There may be restrictions on duplications so always ask first
• Turn off your flash first

2. Ask if item has already been digitized

Special Collections items may be digitized, but not yet linked and online.

• Ask us if we have a digital copy -- if we do, we can email it to you (usually at not cost)!
• Or items may be online in a different system; staff can send you log-on information

Not able to visit and want a copy from Special Collections?

Keep in mind:

• Most requests take several weeks to obtain scans
• Most paper items are scanned and sent as PDFs.
• If more than 100 pages are requested, we may need to break your order into batches.
• Photographs, negatives or slides are usually sent as jpg images.
• If you need higher resolution files for publishing, please indicate this with your request 
  • additional licensing fees and/or paperwork may be required