Haverford CollegeLibraries
Accessing Materials & Reproductions
Quaker & Special Collections welcomes everyone, and strives to be accessible to a wide range of users, whatever their interest or project. There are several ways to access Quaker & Special Collections materials: Through requesting copies of materials; making a virtual appointment with a librarian; and making an appointment to view materials in person.
Copies of materials
We offer copies of up to 500 pages per researcher per year; this increase from our previous policy is due to limited researcher access due to COVID-19 concerns. There is no charge for this service. Reproductions are made as PDFs, and delivered via email. We will accommodate specific, smaller requests for high quality tiff images made at 600dpi resolution. Please contact hc-special [at] haverford.edu with any questions. Requests must be made via our request form. Although we strive to complete requests within two weeks, due to COVID-19, variable staffing, request queues, and request sizes, some requests can take longer. Requests are processed in order of receipt. Please review our full reproduction, copyright, and publication procedures.
Virtual Appointments
We offer virtual research assistance and access to the collections. These virtual appointments offer the opportunity to view materials virtually through a camera and ask questions of the librarian assisting you. The librarian will turn pages, etc. at your request. We will be happy to talk with you via email, phone, or video conference about materials or assist you in searching the library catalog or archives & manuscripts database. If you are making an appointment in which you want to see materials, you will need a list of the materials you want to view, to allow time for staff to obtain materials. Virtual appointments must be made by noon on the day prior to your appointment. If you have any questions about Quaker & Special Collections or the appointment process, please contact us at hc-special [at] haverford.edu.
In Person Appointments
Because of COVID-19 and to protect the health of all, Quaker & Special Collections is open by appointment Monday 1-5 and Tuesday through Friday 9-5, to members of the Haverford community, Bryn Mawr students taking Haverford courses which require access, Gest and Scattergood Fellows, and researchers with a pressing need to access the physical collections. All visitors except students must participate in a virtual consultation with a librarian prior to approval for an on-campus visit, and should be prepared to discuss why the research options detailed above are not possible for them. Only three spaces are available in the Reading Room at a time. The Quaker & Special Collections Reading Room is the supervised area in which researchers may use collections held by the department.
Researchers must follow the College’s guidelines, including those for guest visits; any outside researchers will need to go through a College-level approval process after consultation with a librarian and confirming the availability of an on-site visit. Guidelines governing the use of materials are designed to protect and preserve collection materials for future research use. Additional guidelines are offered to protect the health and safety of all. Researchers are asked to agree to the following:
- Everyone, including researchers, must wear masks at all times in the Libraries and Quaker & Special Collections, following College requirements.
- Physical distancing requirements mandate we keep 6 feet apart from each other, including staff and other researchers.
- Please sit only in the location designated by staff.
- Materials are to be used in the Reading Room.
- Researchers may bring pencil and paper, laptops, tablets, cameras, phones, and reference materials to the tables, and will store all other personal belongings, including coats, purses, briefcases, and water bottles, in the provided lockers.
- Use of the Reading Room is reserved for those using Quaker & Special Collections materials.
- Access to unprocessed collections will be at the discretion of curatorial staff.
- Education on handling of materials will be provided upon arrival in the Reading Room, as will any new updates to health and safety policies.
We offer appointments in two-hour blocks; in order to accommodate a range of researchers, we request that you limit your time to two blocks per day. When making an appointment, you will need the list of materials you want to consult in the reading room. We will be happy to talk with you during your consultation about materials or assist you in searching the library catalog or archives & manuscripts database. Appointments must be made by noon on the day prior to your appointment, to allow time for staff to obtain materials. If you have any questions about Quaker & Special Collections or the appointment process, please contact us at hc-special [at] haverford.edu.
Quaker & Special Collections welcomes everyone regardless of background, age, affiliation, or the nature of your research; as such, we will not request to see IDs.
Appointments are not required to use materials in Quaker & Special Collections. Visitors traveling from out of town are encouraged to contact staff at hc-special [at] haverford.edu prior to their visit, as this allows us to make sure materials of interest will be available during your visit.
Rules governing the use of materials are designed to protect and preserve collection materials for future research use.
Researcher Responsibilities
- Materials are to be used in the Reading Room.
- Researchers will register and sign in each day and agree to abide by departmental policies.
- We encourage photography for research purposes. Staff will notify researchers of any materials subject to photography restrictions. Please silence cameras, phones, and other devices as a courtesy to other researchers.
- Researchers may bring pencil and paper, laptops, tablets, cameras, phones, and reference materials to the tables, and will store all other personal belongings, including coats, purses, briefcases, pens, food, and water bottles, in the provided lockers.
- We ask that all manuscript and archival materials be kept in the order in which they are received. To assist with this, researchers work with one box and one folder at a time and use a provided placeholder card to keep track of the sequence within each box. Folders and their contents must be kept flat on the table.
- Use of the Reading Room is reserved for those using Quaker & Special Collections materials.
- Access to unprocessed collections and non-reformatted audiovisual materials will be at the discretion of curatorial staff.
Quaker & Special Collections accepts research requests via hc-special [at] haverford.edu (email) (preferred) and phone from those unable to visit the collections. In general, Quaker & Special Collections staff can provide up to half an hour of research free of charge; after that, researchers will need to make other arrangements. Learn more about our reproduction and publication policies.
If you have a question about materials in a certain collection, visiting the collections, or anything else, please hc-special [at] haverford.edu (contact us).
Reproduction Services
Quaker & Special Collections wishes to facilitate access to collections, and recognizes that reproductions are an important aspect of that process. We will work to meet these needs to the extent that physical conditions, copyright, or other legal restrictions permit.
Researchers in our Reading Room are encouraged to use cameras or cell phones to make reference copies. There is no charge for self-service photography.
We also welcome requests for copies of up to 500 pages per researcher per year; this increase from our previous policy is due to limited researcher access due to COVID-19 concerns. There is no charge for this service. Reproductions are made as PDFs, and delivered via email. We will accommodate specific, smaller requests for high quality tiff images made at 600dpi resolution.
Materials in our collection are governed by copyright law; researchers are welcome to use materials in the public domain and to make fair use of copyrighted materials as defined by law. Determining copyright is the responsibility of the researcher. We do not require payment for permission to publish, but are always interested to hear how our materials are being used. As a matter of good scholarly practice, materials should be noted as being from Quaker & Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania. Please include collection or image name and number as available.
Please consult a staff member if you have questions. Requests must be made via our request form. Although we strive to complete requests within two weeks, due to COVID-19, variable staffing, request queues, and request sizes, some requests can take longer. Requests are processed in order of receipt.
Please contact hc-special [at] haverford.edu ( ) with any questions.