Special Collections & Archives: Research Visits

Campus Research Visits

Campus research visits are available by appointment.

• Book your SCA Appointment online! Students, faculty, staff, scholars, and community members are welcome. 
• To request an appointment, select SCA from the menu and pick your desired date and time. You will receive an email confirmation for your appointment booking.
• Please note: UTRGV-affiliated users should request appointments using their institutional email address.

Background Research

• To maximize your time at Special Collections & University Archives, background research will be conducted by library staff ahead of your visit. Therefore, the more information you can provide in advance, the better, i.e., full names, dates, places, and specific documents.
• If you have not done so already, then please submit an Online Research Request to help our staff identify relevant resources for your visit. Provide detailed information about the scope of your research, including subjects/names, locations, and dates.
• When completing the online form be sure to enter your existing appointment date when requested.

Before Your Appointment or Visit

Preparation for Your Visit

• Check published sources to gain as much information about your topic as possible, including names, dates, and places.
• Review our extensive Research Guides for more details on the resources available topically: https://utrgv.libguides.com/SCA
• Search the online finding aids (for archival materials) and online catalog (for books, newspapers, maps) to discover what's available. 
• Space is limited in our reading rooms and parking lots; plan for parking ahead of time (see Campus Locations & Parking tab) and review our Best Practices for Your Research Visit below.

Background Research

• To maximize your time at Special Collections & Archives, staff will conduct background research on topics before your visit. Therefore, the more information you can provide in advance, the better, i.e., full names, dates, places, and specific documents.
• Please submit an Online Research Request before your visit to help our staff identify relevant resources.
• When completing the online form, be sure to enter your appointment details (date and staff member).
• Our staff will compile a list of recommended resources to share with you before or after your visit.

During Your Visit

Researcher Registration

• Book your SCA Appointments online!
• Researchers are required to schedule an appointment ahead of their first visit, when/where subsequent visits can also be arranged.
• Please bring photo identification to your visit and your appointment confirmation.
• You will be asked to agree to our reading room guidelines and policies before you access materials.
• Please review our Best Practices for Your Research Visit.

Personal Belongings

• To safeguard our materials, patrons are permitted to bring paper, pencils (no pens), laptops, mobile/personal hotspots, cameras, and audio recorders into the reading room.
• A locker or cabinet will be provided for storing bags, backpacks, purses, binders, books, jackets, or any other personal items during your visit.
• Cell phone use is limited to your phone's camera. Phone calls are not permitted in the reading room.
• All personal items used in the Reading Room are subject to search.
• Failure to comply with policies may result in the denial of access to the collections.
• Theft or mutilation of holdings is a crime that may be prosecuted.

Handling of Collections and Archival Materials

• Archival materials are shelved in closed stacks and cannot be browsed. A staff member will page and bring the materials to you.
• All materials housed in our collections are to remain within the Reading Room. At no time are materials allowed outside of the Reading Room.
• Our materials are unique, often old, and sometimes brittle or easily damaged. Therefore, every researcher is responsible for assisting in the preservation of our documents by adhering to our policies for careful handling and care of research materials.
• Digital Collections: Digitized materials serve two important functions of our mission: (a) they expand access and discovery; and (b) they preserve materials by limiting handling and use. NOTE: Physical access to materials is restricted once the digital version is available, especially maps, newspapers, and fragile and ephemeral items. 

• Patrons who carelessly handle materials may be denied further access and/or prosecuted for damage or theft of collection materials.

Maintain the Original Order of Materials

The order and arrangement of the materials are important to a researcher. Follow these rules to maintain that order:

• Only one folder may be removed from a box a time.
• Use a document marker (green folder provided) to hold its place in the box.
• Pages must stay in order. Lay the folder flat and turn pages over from right to left (like reading a book).
• Items are not to be reordered or removed from the folder.
• If you find any problems (such as pages out of order, torn or marked pages), notify a staff member. Do not try to fix or rearrange the items yourself.
• If you find any materials that are stapled together, please notify a staff member. Do not try to remove any staples yourself as this may result in damage.
• Patrons who carelessly handle materials may be denied further access and/or prosecuted for damage or theft of collection materials.

Careful Handling

Researchers are asked to respect the fragile and often ephemeral nature of the research material by handling it with care to prevent harm and ensure preservation.

• All materials must be handled with clean, dry hands. Patrons with painted nails may be required to use gloves.
• For particularly vulnerable materials such as historical photographs, staff will provide cotton or nitrile gloves. Avoid touching the surface of any photographic image, slide, or other graphic material.
• Keep the folder flat on the table. Documents are not to be placed in a lap or propped unless instructed to do so by staff. 
• Never lay a book flat, especially a rare book, as it may damage the spine. Staff may provide special cushions for reviewing books.
• Turn one page at a time slowly and carefully, touching only the margins to prevent damaging, tearing, or soiling the surface of the paper.
• Do not lean on or put undue pressure on documents.
• Do not insert pages of note paper, note cards, or other objects on top of original material to take notes.
• Do not use Post-it notes, fold pages, trace, add or erase marks from materials, or handle in any way likely to result in damage.
• Patrons who carelessly handle materials may be denied further access and/or prosecuted for damage or theft of collection materials.

After Your Appointment or Visit

Citations

• Keep up with your citations during your visit.
• Please use the following format for citation of archival materials used in research and publication:

Copyright

• The Library does not own the copyright in much of the material in its collection. It cannot grant copyright permission to publish those items, especially published material and "in library use only" items. These include published works, including books, serials, newspapers and clippings, and more.
• Researchers must investigate and determine copyright and other possible restrictions on reuse (e.g. publicity, privacy, moral rights).
• The researcher must obtain proper permission when publishing or distributing materials found in these collections.
• Additional resources for copyright include: UTRGV Copyright LibGuide.

Licensing and Reproductions

• If you would like to use one or more of Special Collections & University Archives' resources for publication, whether in print or online, please complete a licensing and reproduction form.
• Please complete the Agreement for Use of Reproductions of Materials and email it as an attachment to archives@utrgv.edu. Please feel free to contact us for further assistance or to address any questions or concerns you may have.