The Ryerson & Burnham Archives Collections are available during Reading Room hours. Please consult the Archives' access policy.

1. Upon arrival in the Library the researcher must complete an "Application for Access to the Archival Collections" form, describing the research project and indicating the collections to be consulted. The researcher will fill out a separate registration form for each research project and note the dates on which the collections are consulted.
   
2. Collections may be unavailable for research due to: incomplete organization or description; the reservation of first rights to publication of current projects by The Art Institute of Chicago; or possible violation of right to privacy of living authors or correspondents.
   
3. The researcher agrees to indemnify and hold harmless The Art Institute of Chicago, its officers and employees, from and against all claims and actions arising out of the researcher's use of the documents.
   
4. Permission to examine manuscript material does not automatically include the right to photocopy. The Art Institute may decline a request for photocopies because the materials are oversize, too fragile, or fall outside the "fair use" standard. All photocopy requests must be approved by library or archives staff and the copyright disclosure statement on the order form must be signed. The researcher may request slides or photographs from archival collections: the limitations on photocopying also apply to copy photography requests. Prepayment is required for all orders. Researchers are not permitted to use digital scanners for items in archival collections nor may they use personal cameras for copy photography of archival collections.
   
5. The archival material must be consulted in the assigned locations in the Library's reading room and may at no time be removed from this room. No smoking, eating, or drinking is allowed in these areas.
   
6. Only pencils may be used for note taking; no pens, ink, erasable ink, or self-stick removable notes may be used. Tracing from or writing on archival materials is not permitted. Computers or tape recorders may be used, but they are not supplied by the Art Institute.
   
7. The researcher must use extreme care when handling the collections. Many items are fragile, valuable and/or irreplaceable. Please report any mutilations. Some collections may only be consulted in microform copy in order to ensure preservation of the original documents. When handling photographic material (prints, negatives, slides, and lantern slides) cotton gloves must be worn at all times. Library staff will provide these gloves, returnable at the end of each day.
   
8. Researchers using the Ryerson & Burnham Archives collections must use the appropriate call slips supplied by the reference librarians. A maximum of six items (boxes and/or portfolios) will be paged at any one time. The researcher may use only one archival box or portfolio at a time. The researcher is expected to preserve the existing arrangement of the material within folders and boxes. If anything appears to be misfiled, the researcher should not attempt to move it, but call it to the attention of the archivist or reference staff.

Ryerson & Burnham Archives August, 2002

Send questions or comments regarding this information to Ryerson & Burnham Archives, Ryerson & Burnham Libraries