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Archives Reference Policies and Procedures: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ
General questions about Archives and archival resources.

Duplication FAQ
Questions about the duplication of archival resources.

Locating Archival Resources FAQ
Questions about the location of archival resources.

Donations FAQ
Questions about donating materials to the Archives.

General FAQ

  1. Is a researcher allowed to checkout any resources from Archives & Special Collections?
    • No, archival resources are not in circulation and must be viewed within the Archives Research Room only. 
       
  2. Is a researcher allowed to use archival resources outside of the Archives Research Room?
    • No, researchers must use any Archives & Special Collections resources within the Archives Research Room.
       
  3. Is a researcher allowed to bring food or beverage in the Archives Research Room?
    • A researcher may bring unopened food (stored in a sealed lunch bag/box) or beverage (sealed water bottle only) in the Archives Research Room, but it must remain closed and sitting on the floor next to the researcher at all times. If a researcher wishes to eat, he or she must go to another part of the Library to eat. No food or beverage trash should be thrown in the Archives Research Room trash can. See the Archives Research Agreement for more information.

Locating Archival Resources FAQ

  1. Where are Dissertations and Theses located? 
    • Dissertations and Theses are in the process of being available exclusively online through Proquest. The following is a timeline of where a particular thesis or dissertation would be available depending on when it was published.
    1. Before May 2016 - all Dissertations and Theses should have one hard copy available in the second or third floor stacks for checkout by patrons. Another hard copy is kept in the Baptist Materials Room for reference use only.
    2. May 2016 - Ph.D Dissertations were moved online to Proquest with no hard copies available in the library or archives. All other Theses and Dissertations have hard copies available in the stacks and archives as outlined above.
    3. December 2016 - All Theses and Dissertations moved to Proquest going forward.

      ​​Eventually, Theses and Dissertations will also be available when we launch our digital repository.

Duplication FAQ

  1. Is a patron allowed to photocopy pages from the Faculty Publication Collection?
    • No, these are preservation copies that may be used by patrons but not scanned or photocopied. 
       
  2. Is a patron allowed to photocopy pages from the Rare Book Collection (closed shelves)?
  3. Is a patron allowed to take pictures of archival resources with a personal camera, cell phone camera, or other device?
    • Yes, as long as patron does not attempt to flatten or otherwise damage a resource from the Faculty Publication collection and adheres to the Rare Book duplication guidelines found in Step 3: Use Archival Resources.

Donations FAQ

  1. What if a patron wants to donate a family Bible?​
    • Unfortunately, we do not generally collect Bibles published after 1812 in our Rare Book Collection (see page 3 of our Collection Management and Development Policy).

      Family Bibles published in the 20th century had wide publication (meaning there are many copies still available) and generally have the most value to the family that used them. Consequently, we cannot allocate storage space to keep them in our archives unless there is some unique factor that sets them apart such as significant marginal annotation by a notable owner.

      Questions about how to respectfully treat an item of this nature is a common one that people often ask religious archivists. One option would be to simply give it away to a friend, church, used bookstore, or Goodwill in the hopes that it would find its way into the hands of someone would take it up and read it. If that is not an option, there are some who would respectfully bury a Bible someplace where it would not be walked upon regularly. In some more liturgical Christian traditions, they have a practice of reading from the Psalms and praying while you respectfully burn the Bible and then burying the ashes.