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Rules,
regulations and document handling
Once
you have arrived, it is advisable to familiarise yourself
with the rules and regulations of the archive. Most
of these are in place to protect the documents, and
therefore there are restrictions on what you can take
into the reading rooms. Furthermore, the documents are
unique and irreplaceable, and therefore need to be handled
with care.
Archival
Rules and Regulations
These are fairly standard across the board, but do vary.
The most common are listed below:
- pencils
only, no pens or ballpoints [why?
document preservation]
- no
coloured pencils (unless special permission is granted)
- no
erasers or pencil sharpeners [why?
document preservation]
- no
food and drink in the reading rooms [why?
document preservation]
- no
bags, only loose sheets of paper or research notes
[why? anti-theft]
- no
overcoats [why? anti-theft]
- silence
in the reading rooms [why? don't
disturb other researchers]
- no
mobile phones [why?
don't disturb other researchers]
Always
consider the research needs of other users, even if
they don't consider yours. Archival etiquette is important,
and will give a good impression to the archivists behind
the desk.
Document
Handling
Most archives will insist that you set the documents
out in a way that minimises the risk of damage. In general:
- keep
your desk or workspace as tidy as possible
- make
sure the documents rest fully on the work surface
- no part of the document should hang over the edge
- turn
pages from the top of the document, not the bottom
- do
not touch the text unless absolutely necessary - use
a paper marker to keep your place
- use
foam wedges to support the spine of a volume
- use
adequate weights to keep the document in place
- use
protective see-through sheets when viewing maps
- do
not place anything else on the document (especially
your elbows!)
Laptops
Most archives permit you to make notes on a laptop,
but this is not always the case. In any case there may
not always be power points available at every seat,
so be prepared to rely on your batteries (so remember
to back up your work regularly!!) If you have a non-British
laptop, don't forget your power adapter.
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