Our Policies
Learn more about our General Use & Service Policies below.
Other important policies:
General Use & Service Policies
Students, faculty, researchers, and members of the community are welcome to use most Special Collections & University Archives material. However, that material must be used in the Special Collections reading room with SC&UA personnel present. SC&UA materials do not circulate. Most material may be photocopied or scanned subject always to donor restrictions, copyright law, and the condition of the material (see expanded discussion below). The reading room has convenient electrical outlets for laptop computers and cameras. Please ask a staff member for assistance if you wish to make scans or photocopies.
Patrons may conduct their own research by using material in the Archives reference area near the east end of the reading room. Copies of UNI student newspapers, yearbooks, catalogues, budgets, and alumni magazines are located in this area.
In the case of quick fact-checking, the forms of communication noted above may be sufficient. However, a personal visit generally produces the most satisfactory results for all but the most basic research.
We are happy to help you identify resources and information and to use the materials in our collections. Given limited resources and staffing, some requests may take over two weeks to complete, and we are unable to provide ongoing, in-depth research assistance to individuals. For some complex research requests or in cases where you are unable to visit SC&UA in person, you may need to hire an independent researcher. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.
Please respect a librarian, archivist, or assisting staff member's evaluation of an item as too fragile, confidential, restricted, or otherwise unsuitable for use or access. Such conditions are often detailed in the Conditions Governing Access and / or Technical Access fields in a collection's finding aid.
Researchers may also find this SC&UA intro guide useful, as it provides an overview of the collections and some general search strategies for finding and using materials within SC&UA.
Instruction Sessions
We are happy to offer library instruction on primary source literacy and with Special Collections & University Archives materials. We typically offer instruction with our collections in the SC&UA reading room, and we are able to offer some instruction in other classrooms across campus. We’re happy to work with you to develop and plan an instruction session using SC&UA materials or on primary source literacy topics and we find that having a conversation ahead of time about your goals helps make this successful.
If you wish to schedule an instruction session with Jaycie, please email her directly at jaycie.vos@uni.edu (link sends e-mail). We appreciate two weeks' notice to schedule and prepare for instruction. Please note that instruction is subject to availability.
Additionally, we encourage students to learn more about primary source literacy with this tutorial.
Preferred Citation
Adapt for each collection / series accordingly.
- [Identification of item], in the [Series / Collection Title], [folder and / or box number or title when applicable], #[series number], [Collection Name], Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa.
- Example: "Kindergarten," undated, in the University of Northern Iowa Photograph Collections, folder PLS 2, #23, University Archives, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa.
- Example: "1992 Annual Report," in the Curriculum & Instruction Brochures and Announcements collection, box 1, folder 2, #13/02/01, University Archives, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa.
- Example: Voter wagon newspaper clipping, in the Black Hawk-Bremer League of Women Voters Records, box 5, "Voter service" folder, #MsC-11, Manuscripts Collection, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa.