Research Guides: Research in FSU Special Collections & Archives : Reading Room Guidelines

Guidelines for Researchers

Special Collections & Archives welcomes the use of its material by patrons and researchers in our two reading rooms, the Special Collections Research Center Reading Room and the Claude Pepper Library Reading Room.

In order to ensure the longevity of our resources, we ask that patrons and researchers abide by the following guidelines:

No items may be checked out of the Reading Room.
No food or drinks are allowed in the Reading Room.
All bags, briefcases, and computer cases must be placed in lockers in the Reading Room.
Use pencils for taking notes; pens, markers, highlighters are not allowed.
Cell phones should be placed on silent.
See staff for requests to copy or scan materials. If digitization of materials needs to be done by Special Collections & Archives staff please use the Duplication Form to submit your request.

Camera Use Policy

Photographs of collections may be taken in all the Reading Rooms under the supervision of Special Collections & Archives staff, as long as researchers abide by the following rules:

No more than 30% of a book, journal, manuscript collection, or other work may be duplicated.
Flash and sound must be turned off before taking images. The use of portable scanners, tripods, or external lighting must be pre-approved by Special Collections & Archives staff.
Collections should be handled carefully during photography. Researchers should not press down on materials when photographing them. Book supports are available and should be used to avoid damage.
Researchers needing higher quality images, images of fragile items, or large volumes of digital images should submit a Duplication Form.
Special Collections & Archives reserves the right to deny permission to photograph any item or portion of any item due to the fragile condition of the item, the availability of a reproduction or facsimile elsewhere, donor restriction, or copyright law.
All images taken may be used for educational or personal research use only. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright permission to publish images from the collection when applicable.
Researchers may not donate or sell images to another repository, individual, or organization.
For information on how to properly cite or credit images captured, see Citations & Copyright.

Self-Copying

A self-service KIC Scanner is available for patron use in the Special Collections & Archives Research Center. Please check in with the desk attendant if you wish to use the scanner, the attendant will set up materials for scanning. Items requiring special handling are not available to be scanned on the KIC scanner but a Duplication Request may be submitted to our Digital Library Center. Permission to scan entire books or large portions of manuscript collections will not be granted.

Materials that may NOT be scanned on the KIC Scanner:

Photo negatives
3D objects such as cuneiform tablets
Tightly bound items or items with broken/fragile spines
Oversized documents/materials
Documents with explicit restrictions on copying

Reuse and Copyright of Materials

When re-using materials from Special Collections & Archives, please cite or credit the materials appropriately. See Citations & Copyright for more information.

Copies made for or by users of Special Collections & Archives are presumed to be for private study, scholarship, or research only. Users who would like to reuse materials for publication, distribution, performance, display, or broadcast should be aware of any copyright restrictions on the content. Information on determining the copyright status of a work can be found at the FSU Libraries Copyright Resources Research Guide.