Tufts University

Digital Collections and Archives (DCA)

The DCA is the steward of the University's permanently valuable records and collections created in any format, ensuring their permanent preservation and accessibility.

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Reading Room Guidelines

DCA exists to preserve the heritage of the past and to make it available to researchers. These procedures are intended to provide equitable access to collection materials in a manner that ensures their preservation. Please read and follow the guidelines below. Requesting material from the collections indicates acceptance of these guidelines.

All personal belongings must be deposited in the coat closet or lockers. The DCA reserves the right to inspect all research materials and personal articles before a patron enters the reading room and before s/he leaves DCA.
Neither food nor drink may be brought into the reading room. Cell phones and pagers are not permitted in the reading room.
Only paper, pencils and needed references or notes may be used in the reading room. Pencils are provided, and scratch paper will also be made available on request. Under no circumstances may pens be used in the reading room. Laptop computers are permitted, but the staff reserves the right to restrict the use of these and other electronic equipment such as tape recorders if they are found to disturb patrons. Cases must be left in the locker.
The use of scanners, cameras, or video recording equipment is not allowed except by permission of the DCA staff.
Readers may have only one box or volume at their reading table at a time.
Archival material, including photographs, must be handled with care. They must not be marked or folded and their existing order must be maintained. No tracing or rubbing is permitted. If a filing error is suspected, researchers should report the error to DCA staff; researchers should not rearrange any material. Surfaces of photographic prints should never be touched.
Circulation materials do not circulate. Access to some materials may require 24 hours advance notice. Researchers are responsible for returning books and collections to the Archives' staff.
All materials must be returned fifteen minutes before closing.
The Archives' stacks are open only to DCA staff. All others must follow DCA procedures for requesting materials.
Photocopying: Please check with DCA staff before photocopying any material. Some items in the collection are sufficiently fragile that photocopying would cause damage to them and thus would be prohibited. The DCA reserves the right, at its discretion, to restrict photocopying of any material. Photocopies are charged at $.10 per copy, payable in cash, by check made payable to The Trustees of Tufts College, or by interdepartmental requisition. At staff discretion, researchers may request that staff make photocopies on their behalf for a fee of $1.00 for the first page and $.25 for each additional page.
Permission to use does not include permission to publish. Before publishing manuscript material in whole or in part, users must obtain advice as to its availability for publication. DCA assumes no responsibility for the infringement of copyright, common law rights in literary property and the laws of libel. Securing permission to publish quotations from the collection is the responsibility of the researcher. Tufts University does not necessarily own the copyright or literary property rights to any document or other item in the archives. The use, including copyright, of certain archival collections may be restricted by law, by the donor, or otherwise. See the Statement on Copyright for more information. The researcher is also required to acknowledge the Archives in all publications (including theses) which include material found in the Archives. See How to Cite from the Collections for more information.
Tufts University reserves the right to impose regulations and restrictions as it deems appropriate in any individual case.

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