Research in the University Archives

Info About Research in the Archives

The University Archives is open to researchers Monday to Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and by appointment in off hours. If you intend to visit the archives in person, to serve you better, we highly recommend that you contact us by phone or email to schedule an appointment and help us develop a plan for a successful research experience. We encourage all researchers to read the archives' policies, which will help you understand what materials you will have access to and how to conduct your research. If you are unable to visit the archives in person, you may want to contact us via email with your questions about how to search our collections and to receive instructions on how to order reproductions of records.

The archives' reading room contains general publications relating to Holy Family such as the catalogs, yearbooks, some student publications, and the university magazine, to name a few. Also, finding aids not available online are available in the reading room if a collection has been processed. All other material, including university records and photograph, audio/visual, and manuscript collections, are housed in the archives storage room which is closed to the public. Such records must be retrieved by archives' staff.

Services, Fees, and Forms

Among the services that Archives staff offer researchers are answering telephone/e-mail questions, conducting brief searches, and instructing researchers about using the University Archives effectively. If a researcher requests photocopies, an archivist will copy documents at the copier on the main floor of the library. Upon request, an archivist also will provide digital reproductions of records, photographs, and visual/sound recordings.

There are no use fees for Holy Family employees, alumni, or students using records for university-related work, in student papers, theses, dissertations, or scholarly works addressed to limited audiences. There are no use fees for an organization able to provide proof of its not-for-profit status by providing suitable documentation.

There will be no reproduction fees for Holy Family faculty and staff using records for university work.

Students, alumni, and other researchers should use the Fees Schedule link to consult our fee schedule, shown below:
 

• Documents
  • Photocopies/Scans: $0.25 per page
  • PDFs: $0.25 per page
• Photographs and Images
  • Reproduction Fee: $2.00 per image
  • Publication Fee (if applicable):
  • Commercial Use: $50.00
• Additional Fees
  • CDs: $1.00 per CD
  • Postage/attachment and Handling: $3.00

Policies

1. All users must register and sign the user log daily.
2. Due to preservation concerns, users may not have food and drink in the research area.
3. Researchers should keep records in their present arrangement; loose pages will stay in order if turned like pages in a book.
4. Researchers may use only one folder of materials at a time.
5. Due to risk of damage to documents, researchers should take notes in pencil; use of ink is prohibited.
6. To preserve materials for future use, users may not make marks or erasures or other changes in the records.
7. Photocopying is permitted, if it is in accordance with donor agreements and copyright restrictions, unless the item is too fragile, exceptionally valuable, or too large. When allowed, photocopying is limited to single copies for the user’s reference use only. Ask the archivist for assistance.
8. Archives materials are provided for reference use only. The user agrees to publish no portion of them without the written permission of the Archives, and assumes sole responsibility for any infringement of the literary rights, copyrights, or other rights which pertain to these materials.
9. Non-current records in the University archives collection do not circulate; they must remain at the Archives.
10. Citations should follow this format: Identification of item, name of collection, Holy Family University Archives, Philadelphia, Pa.
11. The user agrees to give the Archives a complimentary copy of any publication relying heavily on its collections.
12. The user must read and sign a registration form before using the records. By signing this form, the user acknowledges responsibility to observe the above guidelines.

Citations

Archives materials are provided for reference use only. The researcher agrees to publish no portion of them without the written permission of the Archives, and assumes sole responsibility for any infringement of the literary rights, copyrights, or other rights which pertain to these materials. When a researcher includes archives material in papers, books, exhibits, etc., (published or unpublished, commercial or noncommercial) a citation of such material should be included in the work.

Citations should follow this format: Identification of item, name of collection, Holy Family University Archives, Philadelphia, PA.