Policies

• Reproduction requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.  Some items may be too fragile or violate copyright restrictions so may not be reproduced.
• All reproductions supplied by Special Collections will be digital, photocopies are not available.
• Users, with permission of the Special Collections staff, may take reference photographs with a camera and no flash.
• Fees for reproductions and more guidelines can be found here.

If you wish to publish, use in a film, mount on a web page, or exhibit original material from Special Collections, you must make a written application for permission to archives@goucher.edu. 

• All permissions granted are for one-time use only. 
• It is the responsibility of the requestor to obtain any required copyright permissions from the copyright holder, which is some instances may be Goucher College, but may often be a third party.
• All users should cite Goucher College's Special Collections in their credits.  
• Goucher College may assess a fee for use of materials from its collections for publication.

 

Decisions to accept materials will be informed by the SC&A staff with regards to subject area, available resources to care for and provide access to the collection, the availability of physical storage space, and the availability of similar collection material at another institution. SC&A will accept materials including printed works, manuscripts, archives, artifacts, ephemera, photographs, artwork, audio-visual, and some born digital materials.

The collections are split in two distinct areas:  the college archives and the special collections. The college archives are the official records of Goucher College. The special collections are the non-official historical materials that relate to the College and the local community, support the curriculum, document the activities and research interests of its faculty, students, and alumnae/i, and anticipate future research needs. 

Special Collections and Archives collects original rare and unique materials in the following areas:

• Goucher College history, including works by members of the Goucher College community including students, faculty, staff, and alumnae/i
• Jane Austen and the Regency Period
• Performing Arts, including dance and dance history; costumes; and theater, dance, and opera programs
• Musical scores, especially featuring choreography
• Maryland and Baltimore history and literature
• Early English language work 16^th – 19^th century
• Peace and social justice studies
• Women’s studies including activism, college life, co-education, equal rights, and women’s health
• History of books and printing
• Book arts

 

Donation is the preferred method of acquisitions for Special Collections and Archives.  Donors must sign a deed of gift, a statement of the legal transfer of personal papers, organizational records, rare books, or other materials to Special Collections. 

• Goucher College encourages donations without restrictions.  Occasionally, access to certain sensitive materials may be restricted for a specific period of time.  Special Collections and Archives staff will discuss those situations with donors.
• Materials accepted into the library's collections will be processed and cataloged for access by researchers.   Materials accepted into Special Collections and Archives will be maintained in a secure, climate-controlled environment.
• Copyright generally belongs to the creator of the records.  In order to allow scholars to quote from the records without complication, donors are encouraged to transfer copyright to those materials for which they own that right.
• The library reserves the right to dispose of gifts that are duplicates or irrelevant to the collections, according to policies set by Goucher College. This may include sale, donation, transfer to another Goucher College department or academic institution or recycling.

Please contact the Special Collections & Archives at archives@goucher.edu to discuss a potential donation.