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Researching With Us

Information For Your Visit

Reading Room Environment

The staff of the Archives strive to make our collections as accessible as possible. Here are some of the ways that we commit to supporting researchers.

  • Users do not need to have any affiliation with Barnard or Columbia (or any institution). We do not require that users show us ID and we do not ask for their IDs. The archives are open to all.

  • We do not charge for reproductions (scans, photocopies, or in-house digitization of A/V materials). We do have limitations on our capacity for reproductions which are shared on this page.

  • We welcome families of all kinds to be together in our reading room. We try to stock our office with activities for younger visitors and offer the use of laptops for families and companions to utilize. 

  • Our offices and reading room are accessible to individuals with mobility disabilities.

  • We have bathroom facilities available for all gender identities.

  • We welcome researchers to bring their service animals to the reading room.

  • We strive to make the archives a welcoming and supportive place to do research. We can share information about the organization of collections, additional collections or materials of interest, and more context of collections with researchers. 

We also strive to make your research visit as comfortable as possible:

  • There is a water fountain directly outside of our office. While we do not allow food in our reading room, researchers are welcome to drink beverages from containers with lids, and we are happy to share recommendations for food and drink in our neighborhood.

  • Our office can be cold and we do not have direct control over its temperatures. We recommend that researchers wear or bring layers for their visit.

  • Currently we have lightly padded, armless chairs for use in the reading room. If you need or desire an ergonomic chair for the duration of your visit, we can provide one for you from our office.

  • If it is helpful for you to utilize a laptop riser, we currently have one available in our office that we can make available to you. We also have a variety of book rests for researcher use.

  • Visitors with scent or sensory accommodations may ask for us to pull window shades down, adjust lighting, and/or for staff to limit fragrances during their visit. Because of the volume of our visitors, we cannot ensure a visit that will be completely free of fragrances. Hand soap in the bathrooms is commercial-grade antibiotic soap that is lightly scented. 

If you need any accommodations to ensure you have a positive visit to the Archives, please let us know. 

Researcher Responsibilities

  • Archival materials can be used in the Reading Room. Archival materials do not circulate. They must remain within the Archives. We are happy to accommodate researchers with scans and photocopies and have a self-scanning station available for use in the reading room (see Use of Digital Cameras and Scanners below for more information). Learn more about reproductions, copyright, and citing archival materials.

  • Researchers can place their personal items – bags, jackets, etc. – on the coat rack in the Reading Room or keep items with them.

  • We ask that researchers do not eat food and set aside beverages while they work with the collections. The worker assisting the researcher should help find a reasonable place to set aside the drink. Eating is not allowed in the Reading Room, but drinks in closed containers can be kept.

  • We ask that all archival materials are kept in the order in which they are found. To assist with this, we ask that researchers remove one folder at a time from each archival box. Whenever 

  • Researchers are expected to uphold the archives Community Agreements.

Use of Digital Cameras and Scanners

We welcome researchers to use laptops, tablets, and chargers in our reading room. Patrons may use digital cameras (including phone cameras) to take reference photographs of archival materials for personal use. We additionally welcome the use of our self-scanning stations in our Reading Room; see the guidelines below for further information.

  • For use of the Scannx station, you can send scans to your email address or Google Drive, or bring a thumb drive to which you can save your scans. The email account from which the scans are sent to researchers' emails is not monitored and sent email is deleted automatically (and the trash emptied automatically after 30 days).

  • Some reproductions can only be done by staff due to fragility, size, or format. Prior to making self-scans, please check with Archives’ staff to ensure the materials are stable enough to be scanned.

  • Researchers making self-scans should use one document at a time, returning the document they are scanning to the appropriate folder and box before making their next scan.

  • When scanning is completed, the researcher should check the flatbed scanner to ensure no documents have been left on the scanner.

  • We recommend that researchers make note of the folders and boxes from which they are making their scans.

  • All scans and reproductions should comply with our copyright and fair use guidelines.