By submitting this form you acknowledge and agree to abide by the following terms and conditions.  

Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections (UAHC) serves the public by making historical materials available for research.  Our policies and procedures balance the needs of researchers with the long-term preservation and security of our holdings.

Handling Materials
 Materials can be used in the reading room.  No materials may be checked out or leave the premises.
 Please handle all materials carefully with clean, dry hands.  
 You will be provided with gloves to wear while handling photographs.
 Keep all documents and volumes flat on the table.
 Use only one folder of material at a time.
 Keep all materials in the folder they came from and in their original order.
 When taking notes please make sure your paper is on the table and not on top of the materials.
 Do not lean on or place items on top of the materials.
 Do not add to or erase any marks on the materials.
 Leave materials on the table when you are finished, and notify a staff member.
 The archivist has the right to inspect materials.

Access and Restrictions Policy
Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections reserves the right to restrict access to materials due to factors such as Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), personally identifying information, or preservation concerns.

Conditions of Access
 Archival materials are non-circulating.
 Researchers must abide by the rules of the reading room.
 UAHC reserves the right to restrict access to materials deemed too fragile to handle and/or are valuable.  Reasonable attempts will be made to provide access to reproductions of the originals.
 Researchers will give explicit credit and citation to “Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections” in any publication or other format to images, quotations, or data based on UAHC records.  
 Researchers agree to not publish information in breach of the access policy if they find information inadvertently left in the collections.  
 Photocopies or reproductions will not be transferred to other individuals or agencies without explicit prior written permission of UAHC.

Reproduction Requests
Reproduction is handled on an item by item basis. For most materials reproduction is permitted, however, donor agreements, copyright restrictions, condition, and size may limit item duplication. All reproductions are made by the UAHC staff.

Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions
The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified 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 for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse a copying order, if in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Permission to Publish
Permission to examine material is not authorization to publish. A separate written application for permission to publish must be submitted. Where Michigan State University does not hold copyright interests, permission to publish must be obtained from the holder of the copyright interests. In granting permission to publish, the University does not surrender its own right thereafter to publish any of the materials from its collections, nor does it grant permission for more than one-time use. If permission to publish is granted, the collection name and location must be cited in the published work. The researcher assumes all responsibility for observing the laws of copyright and agrees to hold Michigan State University harmless in the event of any loss, damages or expenses incurred as a result of publishing the noted materials.

Please contact archives@msu.edu with any questions or for assistance.