Research Room Policies and Procedures

Welcome

Archives and Special Collections welcomes students, faculty, and staff of Central Washington University, and visiting researchers from the public. Because many of our materials are rare or unique, we ask that researchers treat all materials with care and thoughtfulness.

All of our materials are non-circulating and are used only in the Reading Room. Please follow these guidelines when using the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room.

Arriving in the Reading Room

~ Food, beverages, and gum chewing are not permitted in Archives and Special Collections.
~ Please turn off your cell phone or pager.
~ Please use PENCILS only for notetaking. Pens are not to be used in the Reading Room. Marking or erasing, or altering materials in any way is prohibited.
~ Digital cameras, scanners, or cameras of any kind are not permitted in the Reading Room. For information about ordering reproductions, please see our Copying Services page.
~ Library materials and personal items, such as bags, laptops, notebooks, or books, are subject to inspection.
~ Archives, manuscripts, and books are paged for researchers and used only in the Reading Room.

Handling the Collections

~ Please make sure that your hands are clean.
~ Do not write or trace on books or documents.
~ Open books and turn pages gently.
~ Paper clips, rubber bands, post-it notes, or three-dimensional objects should not be used for place markers. Paper markers are available at the center of the tables.
~ Place books in book cradles; do not use books on the surface of the tables.
~ Remove only one folder from a box at a time.
~ The exact arrangement of papers within folders must be maintained; turn pages over one at a time.
~ Please do not remove items from their clear Mylar sleeves.
~ Cotton gloves will be provided for researchers handling historic photographs.
~ If the item you are using seems too fragile to handle, please ask Archives staff to assist you.

Thank you for your cooperation in following these guidelines; your cooperation will help us to preserve our collections so that researchers can continue to benefit from them in the future.