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@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@haverford.edu.

Make an appointment

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@haverford.edu.

Make an appointment

To find materials in Quaker & Special Collections, researchers may need to search in several places. Tripod, the Libraries’ online catalog, contains the records for all books held by Quaker & Special Collections, and some of the manuscript materials.