FONTBONNE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
GENERAL USE POLICY
The records in the Fontbonne University Archives are the property of Fontbonne University. They document the internal and external development of the university. Materials include, but are not limited to: artifacts, documents, correspondence, books, printed materials, serials, blueprints, photographs, slides, and video cassettes. The Fontbonne University Archives reserves the right to change the following policies without prior notice.
RESEARCH USE & USER AGREEMENT
- Researchers visiting the Archives in person are asked to register with the Archivist and sign a form stating that they have read and understand the General Use Policy. Permission to use the Archives is obtained from the Archivist who will note the records to be consulted and the purpose of their use.
- All records must remain in the Archives during use. Archival records do not circulate and are not available through interlibrary loan. Exceptions must be approved by the Archivist. The archivist reserves the right to limit or deny access to records in fragile condition; instead, access copies will be provided in place of originals. Official records are neither “laundered” nor destroyed, and therefore, use of some records may be restricted due to personnel matters.
- No unpublished letter, memo, or document written by a living person may be quoted, paraphrased, or used in any way without the consent of the author.
- The Archivist will do a minimum amount of research to accommodate a researcher who is unable to come to the Archives. How much research he/she will do on any given project is at the discretion of the Archivist.
HANDLING OF ARCHIVAL RECORDS
- Records shall be handled with care. They shall not be traced over or marked on. Food and drink are strictly prohibited. No carbon paper, ink/ballpoint pens, or sticky notes are permitted for use with archival materials. Pencils and paper are available for use.
- No archival records may be photocopied, photographed, or scanned without permission of the archivist.
- A researcher might be required to wear protective cloth gloves when handling certain materials.
COPYRIGHT
- Notice: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.
- The researcher assumes full responsibility for the following: conforming to the laws of copyright that may be involved in his/her use of any record preserved in the Fontbonne University Archives; and conforming to the laws of libel and literary property rights that may be involved in the use of manuscripts and/or other unpublished or archival materials.
REPRODUCTIONS
- Reproductions include physical and digital copies of materials. In some cases, and with the permission of the Archivist, the researcher may reproduce materials using his/her own camera and hand-held scanners. Reproductions by photocopying or flatbed scanning will be completed in-house by the Archivist as time permits.
- There is no self-service copying in the Archives. Black and white photocopies and digital images are available upon request. While there is no cost for this service, each person is limited to 50 pages/images a month.
- The Archives reserves the right to restrict the copying of personnel materials, entire series of records, records in fragile physical condition, or a significant section of a work protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code).
- Reproductions of materials in the Archives are intended solely for the individual consultation of the researcher for private and scholarly use. There is no transfer of property from the Archives to the researcher. Requests for reproductions constitute an agreement not to reproduce, distribute, or publicly disseminate material subject to copyright, unless permissions to do so are granted (see Permission and Conditions for Publication Policy). Reproductions are not to be deposited in any other library, archives, or repository.
- Access to collections in the Archives, including materials published on the Fontbonne University Archives website, does not confer the rights to publish or reproduce them. A separate written application for permission to publish must be submitted to the Archivist (see next section).
PERMISSION TO PUBLISH/USE FOR COMMERCIAL OR NON-PROFIT PUBLICATION
- Researchers wishing to use materials from the Archives for commercial or non-profit reproduction and/or publication in either electronic or paper format must receive explicit permission from the Archives (or the copyright holder), and agree to abide by the Permission and Conditions for Publication Policy established by the Fontbonne University Archives.
- The holder of copyright could be the writer or creator, the writer or creator’s heirs or assigns, the writer or creator’s literary executor or other designated legal representative, or Fontbonne University. Copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) does not allow the Archives to grant permission to publish materials in which we are not the copyright owner. The researcher assumes full responsibility for identifying the holder of copyright and obtaining any and all permissions.
DONATIONS
- In keeping with Fontbonne University’s Jack C. Taylor Library policy on donations, the Archives welcomes and appreciates donations. Donated materials will be retained when their content contributes to the purpose of the Fontbonne University Archives’ collections. Materials not added to the archival collection might be discarded or placed in the Library’s annual books sale. Any deviation from this policy must be negotiated before the donation takes place.
- The Archives recommends that the donor fill out the Deed of Gift form in the presence of the University Archivist.
Revised 2017.