Members of the Goucher community are encouraged to utilize the materials in Special Collections & Archives (SCA). Faculty can make appointments for their own research or to introduce their classes to SCA materials through classroom or exhibition creation. In order to ensure the protection of the original materials housed in Special Collections & Archives (SCA) we have created the policies below.
Definitions
Classroom Use- The use of original materials during specific class times for study and research.
Exhibition- The public display of original materials on Goucher College’s campus.
Original Materials- this includes rare books, manuscript papers, scrapbooks, audio-visual materials, artwork, and 3-D objects that are housed in Goucher College’s Special Collections & Archives.
Classroom Use
- Faculty who have never used SCA materials before must meet with SCA staff to review handling of rare materials procedures.
- All items for use in the class must be approved SCA staff.
- High value objects (monetary, content, or physicality) will only be used in classroom settings under the care of SCA staff.
- SCA materials can only be used in the SCA Reading Room or Athenaeum 435.
- Only one box of archival materials at a time may be used by a student. Only one folder may be out of the box at a time. Documents must be placed flat on the table and kept in its original order. If a researcher finds something amiss, please direct questions to staff.
- Nitrile or cotton gloves must be worn if touching materials (especially photographs) is necessary.
- Photographs may be taken without flash.
Exhibition Use
- All items must receive written approval by SCA staff. Requests need to be made with as much notice as possible to prepare the items.
- All exhibits must have stated end dates for SCA staff to determine whether an item may be used in the exhibition.
- Access to these materials may be limited by several factors, including legal or institutional obligations, preservation requirements, level of training, or resources needed to arrange and describe the materials.
- If staff determine that exhibition will damage an object, or is damaging the object, the situation shall be remedied immediately. Such remedy may entail removal of the objects from exhibition or providing suitable reproductions to researchers in lieu of original documents.
- All items that need to be transported for exhibition will happen under the auspices of SCA staff.
- All supplies, beyond tools in the CHL and collection items, are the responsibility of the faculty member.
- All opened books on exhibit need book cradles.
- Up to 15 scans of manuscript items or rare books may be requested at least one week in advance of the exhibition. The Director of Conservation will determine whether the object can be safely scanned.
- It is the responsibility of the faculty overseeing the exhibition to take down the displays and return all items.
