Archives & Special Collections

• LRC Collections Policy
• Collection Development Policy
• Rare Books Collection Development Policy
• Science Fiction Collection Development Policy
• Preservation Policy

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Register for an Archives Research Account

• To help preserve our collections, we ask that researchers arrive with clean hands and handle all Archives materials with care. Reading room staff will provide instruction on the proper handling of Archives materials. For researchers consulting books, book cradles and weights are provided when necessary. When consulting manuscripts, researchers may use only one box or folder at a time, must retain the order of the materials contained in the box or folder, and must keep each manuscript flat on the table.
• Cell phones should be set to silent mode and cell phone conversations are not permitted.
• No food or drink is allowed.
• All personal belongings must be stored in the specified location in the Archives Reading Room. You may bring into the reading room a laptop or tablet computer, a small camera (for personal use only), pencils, and loose sheets of paper. Pens, highlighters, markers, binders or spiral notebooks, tripods, and flatbed or hand scanners are not permitted. Flash photography is prohibited.
• Appointments are not required for Archives researchers, but physical archival materials are only available for use during our operating hours (Monday-Friday from 11:00am-4:00pm). Researchers may wish to contact Archives staff in advance for assistance. Access to some collections may be restricted or delayed because of physical location, physical condition, donor requirements, or staff processing. Many collections are housed offsite, requiring requests to be placed at least 24 hours in advance of the research visit. You may contact us with any questions.

• In order to ensure the careful handling of Archives materials, all professional digitization is completed by Archives staff.  Personal duplication with a mobile device is allowed in the reading room with permission.
• Archives will not reproduce entire manuscripts, archival collections or extensive sections of collections. Archives and Special Collections staff reserve the right to refuse duplication of materials based upon condition of the item, copyright, donor restrictions or discretion. The decision to prohibit reproduction will be made by the Archives staff member; this decision is final.
• Certain materials cannot be reproduced because of restrictions placed upon the item by the donor or agency of origin. In every case, copyright law (Title 17 of the U.S. Code) and the doctrine of educational fair use (Section 107 of H.R. 2223) applies.
• Reproductions of materials housed in Archives are to be used solely for scholarly research. The department reserves the right to request the return of photocopies and/or scans. Copyright is not conveyed with the reproduction. The researcher must not quote from, publish, reproduce, or display any material, in whole or in part, without written permission from the copyright holder and from Archives. Transfer of reproductions to another library or repository is prohibited, except with written permission of the Head of Archives.
• Materials that the Archives have obtained from other institutions or projects cannot be copied unless the researcher has obtained written permission of the original institution. The researcher assumes all responsibility for questions of copyright.
• Purchase or download of an image reproduction does not constitute permission to publish. An Application for Permission to Publish must be submitted and approved for any and all publications.

Contact the Georgia Tech Archives with any questions about reproductions.

Reproduction Costs:

Visual Materials - Visual materials reproductions include photographs, manuscripts, transmissive materials (film/slides), architectural drawings, and artifacts.

Bound Volumes, Text - Text-based reproductions include books, bound volumes, pamphlets, brochures, yearbooks, or any text-based ephemera.

• The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction (including a digital photograph or copy of a digital file) for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Georgia Tech reserves the right to refuse to accept a reproduction order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
• Researchers must make a written request to the Georgia Tech Archives for permission to publish any materials from its Archives and Special Collections. Georgia Tech assumes no responsibility for copyright violations or for any other legal issues (including the release of student information, health information or otherwise restricted information) resulting from the use or publication of archival materials. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure any necessary permission from the appropriate copyright holder to quote, publish, or reproduce items from the Georgia Tech Archives, and to acknowledge in print that the materials are used or published with permission of Georgia Tech.