Mission
The College of Saint Rose Archives and Special Collections (Archives) appraises, collects, describes, preserves, and makes available the non-current, official records of the College and materials by and about persons affiliated with the College which have legal, administrative, or historical value.
Policies
Collection Development
Materials are collected based on the above mission. Items may include, but are not limited to:
- Artifacts
- Audiovisual media (ie. DVDs)
- Banners
- Books (including theses)
- Course Catalogs
- Digital materials (ie. electronic files, CDs)
- Ephemera and Memorabilia
- Maps
- Official records of College departments and offices
- Personal papers
- Photographs
- Posters
- Student publications
- Yearbooks
Ultimate responsibility for collection development resides with the Archivist.
Records Transfers: Materials transferred from College departments should include a Records Transfer form. Any items that do not fall under the Archives Mission will be returned to the originating department or disposed of with the approval of the originating department.
Donations and Gifts: The Archives reserves the right to accept or refuse donations. All donations and gifts should include a Deed of Gift form.
Restrictions: The Archives cannot accept obsolete formats, including, but not limited to: Betamax, VHS, audiocassettes, digital video recorder cassettes. The Archives does not have the capability to convert these to accessible formats.
The Archives cannot accept photographs without documentation of the people, places, and events depicted in them. The Archives cannot properly index, describe, or access photographs without these vital details.
Deaccessions
The Archivist has ultimate responsibility for collection development and management. Permanently removing items from the archives is only done under extreme conditions.
An item may be removed if the item:
- is not covered under the mission of the Archives.
- has no historical or intrinsic value.
- is not unique.
- is in extremely poor condition and may “infect” other materials.
One or a combination of these reasons may be applicable.
Loans
Materials in the custody of the Archives may be loaned for the purposes of use and exhibit. Normally, items must be viewed only in the Archives Reading Room. On rare occasions, materials may be loaned to other Saint Rose departments and offices. Borrowers not affiliated with the College will be evaluated individually.
All loans are at the discretion of the Archivist.
If a loan is approved, the borrower is subject to the following terms and conditions. A loan agreement must be completed and signed.
Care and Exhibition
The borrower will exercise the appropriate care and handling of the borrowed items as demonstrated by the Archivist.
The borrower will not alter, clean, repair, or restore the items.
Evidence of damage or loss will be immediately reported to the Archivist.
The Archivist reserves the right to inspect the installation of borrowed items to ensure appropriate preservation practices are used.
Rights and Reproductions
The borrower may use the items only for the purposes outlined in the agreement. Any reproductions must be approved by the Archivist.
Length of Loan
The length of the loan will be indicated in the agreement. Borrowed materials must be returned on or before the return date. The Archivist reserves the right to request the return of items prior to return date.
Records Transfer
The College Archives is the repository for all non-current, inactive official College records that have sufficient value to warrant their preservation. Records commonly transferred to the College Archives include:
- Constitutions and by-laws, minutes and proceedings, transcripts, lists of officers of College corporate bodies;
- Office files: correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities and functions;
- Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and task force reports, questionnaires;
- Publications: one record copy of all programs, journals, monographs, newsletters, brochures, posters, and announcements issued by the College or its subdivisions; the Archives should be placed on College, departmental, and office mailing lists to receive all future publications;
- Audio-visuals: photographs, films, and sound, video and other recordings;
- Personal papers of students, faculty and staff which relate to the College’s work.
Contact the Archivist prior to any transfers.
Researcher
The Archives welcomes all students, faculty, alumni, and staff of the College. All visitors to the Archives must abide by the Rules and Regulations.
In addition to researcher visits, the Archives also accepts research questions via phone (518.454.5190), fax (518.454.2897), and email.
Access restrictions to materials are in place. Access to materials is at the discretion of the Archivist and originating department.
All requests by the media must be go through the Public Information Office of The College of Saint Rose.
Rights and Reproductions
Rights
Contact the Archivist for permission to use reproductions for purposes other than private study, scholarship, and research.
Permissions cover one-time use.
Reproductions must be credited as follows: Courtesy of The College of Saint Rose Archives and Special Collections, Albany, NY.
Reproductions
Materials in the Archives may only be reproduced by the Archives staff. Reproductions taken from printed or electronic materials which have not been supplied by the Archives are prohibited.
The Archives reserves the right to refuse any request for reproductions if the materials may be damaged by the procedure. The Archives reserves the right to refuse any request for reproductions if it would be in violation of copyright laws.
The researcher is responsible to obtain any necessary copyright permissions. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish.
Security
Access
Access to the Archives Storage Room is strictly prohibited, except to the following college members:
- The Library Director
- The College Archivist
- Security and facilities personnel, only when supervised by the Library Director or College Archivist
No one, for any reason, is allowed unsupervised entry into the Archives Storage Room, except for the Library Director and College Archivist.
Use
Archival materials may be used only under the direct supervision of the Archivist.
All archival materials brought to the Archives Research Room for use MUST be returned to the Archives Storage Room at the end of the day.
College Employees with Key Access
Archives Storage Room (315):
- Security, Assistant Director
- Library Director
- College Archivist
Locked Closet (316) in Archives Storage Room:
- Library Director
- College Archivist
Doing Research
The Archives welcomes all students, faculty, alumni, and staff of the College. All visitors to the Archives must abide by the Rules and Regulations listed below.
In addition to researcher visits, the Archives also accepts research questions via phone, fax, and email.
Access restrictions to materials are in place. Access to materials is at the discretion of the Archivist and originating department.
All requests by the media must be go through the Public Information Office of The College of Saint Rose.
Research Room Regulations
These regulations are not intended to be a burden on the researcher, but instead are to be viewed as an instrument by which we protect and preserve the College’s historical materials for future generations of researchers.
- Researchers are required to complete and sign the Visitor Register and a registration form. Valid identification must be provided upon request.
- Researchers must leave all coats, bags, briefcases, knapsacks, and other items at the door of the Archives Reading Room. Scrap paper will be provided by the Research Room staff.
- No materials may be removed from the Archives Reading Room.
- Research in the Archives is not self-service and researchers are not allowed in the stacks or storage area. Research Room staff is on hand to retrieve materials.
- Pencils only! The use of pens, Post-it notes, metal paper clips, staples, rubber bands, tape, and other adhesives is prohibited.
- Food and beverages are prohibited.
- Researchers may be required to wear cotton gloves while handling certain materials. These are provided by the Research Room staff.
- Researchers are asked to take the utmost care with the materials:
- Do not change the order of documents within folders or boxes.
- Do not inflict stress on the bindings of books or other publications.
- Do not trace, fold, lean on, or otherwise handle materials in any way that may damage them.
- The Archives reserves the right to inspect all research material and all personal articles before a patron leaves the area.
- Reproductions of materials are done by the Research Room staff at the researcher’s expense when the condition of the originals will permit such reproduction.
- The researcher is responsible to obtain any necessary copyright permissions. Note: Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish.
Photocopying and Duplicating
Materials in the Archives may only be reproduced by the Archives staff. Reproductions taken from printed or electronic materials which have not been supplied by the Archives are prohibited. The Archives reserves the right to refuse any request for reproductions if the materials may be damaged by the procedure. The Archives reserves the right to refuse any request for reproductions if it would be in violation of copyright laws.
The researcher is responsible to obtain any necessary copyright permissions. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish.
WARNING: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, USC) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, archives and libraries are authorized to furnish a photocopy or 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 request for reproduction if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the request would involve violation of the copyright law.
Fees
Photocopies: black/white copies are 10 cents per page.
See the Archivist for fees associated with color photocopies and other reproduction formats.