Using Special Collections Materials

Access | Procedures | Proper use | Copying | Requesting images | Permission to quote or publish | Class use

This department, like departments of special collections of other institutions, contains manuscripts and works conventionally labeled rare books, which benefit from special handling because of their age, rarity, or value. We also house collections that are themselves of unique research value, because they concentrate on a particular author, publisher, topic, or genre and thereby permit scholars to explore a subject in great depth.

Our collections are housed in environmentally controlled vaults, and made available to readers in a supervised reading room. We welcome users of our collections, and ask that you understand that our special procedures are designed to ensure that these collections are available to you and other users for many decades to come.

Other collections of materials requiring special handling, and old, rare, or historical collections are available at other campus locations. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Ebling Library, which contains the History of the Health Sciences Collection;
• Kohler Art Library, which maintains a collection of artist's books;
• Mills Music Library, which contains various special collections, including
  • Tams Witmark Collection of the American Musical Theater;
  • Wisconsin Music Archives
• UW-Madison Archives, which houses university records and other historical materials;
• Wisconsin Historical Society, which houses both a library and archives:
  • the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives provide access to primary resources that document the history of Wisconsin;
  • the Wisconsin Historical Society Library maintains an excellent collection of genealogical information and books on Wisconsin history

Access

• All works must be used in the reading room except by prior arrangement.
  
• Paged books are available 9:00 a.m. - 4:50 p.m.
  
• Open to all patrons of Memorial Library.
  
• A few especially fragile or oversize items, including the Coverdale Bible, the Audubon elephant portfolios, Newton's library, and Bradstreet's Tenth Muse, are available for consultation only by prior arrangement with the Curator.
  
• Reference works are available in the Reading Room once readers have signed the daily register. Other titles -- stored in temperature and humidity-controlled vaults -- can be paged at the desk and then consulted in the Reading Room.
  
• Catalogs and finding aids: many of the Department's holdings are cataloged on MADCAT. Until the retrospective conversion of the card catalog to online form is complete, for other works you will need to consult the card catalogs and paper finding aids in the Department.
  
• The British Library printed catalog, biographical dictionaries, and retrospective dealer catalogs shelved in the adjoining Seminar Room are available when the room is not in use by classes.
  

When entering

1. Retain your photo identification. Place briefcases, purses, and backpacks in the lockers; coats and umbrellas in the cloakroom. Free locker keys are available at the desk.
   
2. Please sign the daily register. If it is your first visit, fill out a registration card.
   
3. Fill out a charge card for each title in the vaults.
   
4. Only pencils may be used. Some are available at desk.
   
5. A staff member will collect your identification in exchange for paged works; when you have finished in the Reading Room, return the works to the desk and retrieve your identification.
   
6. Items may be kept on reserve for short periods.
   

Proper use of materials

• Books must not be left unattended. Notify the desk whenever you leave the Reading Room.
• Turn pages carefully.
• Open books only on the cloth book rests or reading stands.
• Request weights for books that will not stay open.
• Do not lay books face down.
• Do not reshelve reference materials.
• Do not mark pages or write on paper upon a book.
• Tracing of illustrations requires special approval.
• Use acid-free bookmarks only, available from staff.
• Use of some fragile items requires cotton gloves.
• Please ask a staff member to cut uncut pages.
• Please notify the staff about damaged material.
• As a rule, four volumes may be at a reader's station.

Copying of texts or illustrations

Photocopying: Each item to be copied on our debit-card copier must be approved by Special Collections staff. A maximum of 20 pages per volume is permitted. Fragile or tightly bound items may not be copied.

Scanning and Microfilming: Available at cost for some fragile titles. Arrangements for these services must be made at the desk.

Photography: Digital and conventional cameras may be used in the reading room with the approval of Special Collections staff. Ask at the desk to make arrangements.

Computers: Many users bring their computers for transcribing materials. Computer cases should be left in lockers.

Requesting images

Images can only be made from an item in Special Collections if the condition of the item permits. The Department may be able to make a limited number of digital images from items in its collections. In general, such images will be .jpg files at 300 dpi, delivered as e-mail attachments.

Depending on the size and condition of the item, we may, however, refer the image request to the UW Digital Collections Center (608) 265-3059. Although the UW Digital Collections Center does not charge use/permission fees, it does charge fees for reproduction, reformatting, and retrieval of images.

Reproduction fees:

Items to be scanned by the UW Digital Collections Center for

Persons affiliated with the UW System: $15 per image
Persons not affiliated with the UW System: $25 per image

Retrieval fees for items already scanned:

First scanned item retrieved: $15 per image
Subsequent scanned items retrieved: $3 per image

Permission to quote or publish

Permission form (We are in the process of updating this form; please continue to use this version for the time being)

The University of Wisconsin Libraries generally do not own the copyrights to materials in their print, manuscript, and electronic collections. Consistent with their public university mission, the Libraries encourage the use of content in these collections for study, research, and teaching.

Most works published after 1923 are protected by U. S. and international copyright laws.

Unpublished materials, including but not limited to correspondence and manuscripts, are also protected by copyright laws.

Fair use of copyright-protected works for study, research, and other purposes does not require the permission of the copyright owner provided that the use meets the standard specified in Section 107 of the U. S. Copyright Law.

If the text or image is under copyright , it is the researcher's obligation, prior to publication or distribution, to determine and satisfy copyright requirements, or other use restrictions, from the owners of the rights. Copyright holders or owning institutions may charge permission fees. (The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas-Austin offers a convenient guide for researchers who need to identify copyright holders: http://tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/us.cfm .)

In general the Libraries of the University of Wisconsin-Madison can neither grant nor deny permission to publish texts or images from its holdings unless the University of Wisconsin is identified as the copyright holder for the original. Unless otherwise noted, it is thus not necessary to seek the Libraries' permission to publish texts or images unless the University of Wisconsin is identified as the copyright holder for the original. The Libraries do, however, require that proper attribution be given in each instance of use. The preferred attribution wording for items in Special Collections is:

By courtesy of the Department of Special Collections, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Libraries request a copy of any publication in a physical format (print, CD/DVD, etc.) in which a text or image from its collections is reproduced. In the case of text or images from holdings of the Department of Special Collections, the copy should be sent directly to:

Special Collections
990 Memorial Library
University of Wisconsin
728 State Street
Madison , WI 53706

For additional information, please contact the

Curator of Special Collections
990 Memorial Library
University of Wisconsin
728 State Street
Madison , WI 53706
(608) 262-3243

Class use