Access
Special Collections provides controlled access to its holdings, balancing research, teaching and learning needs with the obligation to preserve materials for future use. While the materials are non-circulating, patrons are welcome to view them in our reading room. We strongly encourage making appointments well in advance to ensure that items are paged and available upon your arrival. Special Collections staff are available for research consultations, both in person and virtually.
To request items, ask questions and schedule appointments, contact us at speccoll@binghamton.edu.
Guidelines for Use of Special Collections
We welcome your visit and ask all patrons to abide by our policies and procedures meant to preserve the unique materials in the collection.
- All researchers must complete a registration form outlining these guidelines and be prepared to provide identification if requested. Registration forms are retained as permanent records within Special Collections.
- Pencils, notebooks, cellphones, handheld cameras, and laptops/tablets may be used in the Reading Room. Store all other personal items in the reception area.
- Food and beverages are not permitted in the Reading Room.
- Researchers are asked to handle all materials carefully, as directed by staff. If you have questions about how to safely handle any material, please ask; staff will be happy to assist.
- Only place one box on the table at a time, and only remove one folder from the box at a time. Please be sure to maintain the original order of all manuscript and archival material.
- Digital photography with a phone or handheld camera (without flash) is permitted unless you are otherwise notified by staff. Images taken by researchers are for personal reference or classroom teaching purposes only and may not be published in any form.
- Researchers who plan to publish images of Special Collections materials must obtain written permission by submitting a Permission to Publish form, available on our website or from staff. Binghamton University Libraries assumes no responsibility for copyright infringement; researchers are responsible for obtaining all necessary copyright permissions.
- Requests for photocopies, reference scans, or high-resolution photography of materials will follow the Special Collections Duplication Policies, available on our website or from staff.
- Staff reserve the right to inspect all materials and personal articles before researchers leave Special Collections.
- Visitors are expected to abide by all University codes of conduct and to assist us in creating a respectful reading room environment.
Instruction & Class Visits
Special Collections and University Archives welcomes and encourages instructors and their students and classes to use our rich collections. We can provide in-person and online instruction and orientation in a range of disciplines and subjects, including general information about how to locate and use special collection materials for research purposes and class presentations on selected materials pertaining to specific collections, subjects, historic periods or genres. To discuss a possible class session, please send an email to speccoll@binghamton.edu, or submit your request here.
We ask that requests be made at least three weeks in advance to allow time to prepare instructional materials.
Exhibits
Special Collections offers rotating exhibits throughout the year in its public spaces. The Link Collections Exhibit Wall at the entrance of the department is a permanent display of actual items from the collections associated with the inventor Edwin A. Link together with an interactive touch screen. Information about exhibits and events can be found on our blog and the University Libraries’ exhibits page.