Archives Reading Room Policies
Welcome to the Central Piedmont Archives!
The materials housed in our archival collections and the books shelved in the Reading Room are non-circulating, meaning they do not leave the archive.
Due to the unique and irreplaceable nature of our materials, we ask that you abide by the following policies and procedures. Doing so will help ensure these materials will be available to future researchers. Failure to comply with these rules may result in denial of access to the collections.
General Archives Reading Room Policies
- The Archives Reading Room is designated as a “quieter” study area, meaning that conversations can take place, but at lower volumes. Please exit the Reading Room to take phone calls.
- Student groups are allowed to access the Reading Room without a need for archival research, meaning that students/student groups do not need to specifically request access to archival materials in order to access the space. However, we do ask that students follow the general policies.
- Personal belongings, such as backpacks, bags, and coats, must be placed in the Reading Room’s lockers. Training on how to operate the lockers will be provided. Notebooks, laptops, cellphones, and pencils are allowed.
- Food, gum, cosmetics, smoking, and pets are not allowed in the Reading Room. Covered beverages and service animals are allowed.
Rules for Accessing and Handling Archives Materials
- Hands should be clean for the handling of materials. Please avoid applying creams or lotions to your hands immediately before handling materials as the oils can transfer and cause considerable damage.
- Use only pencils when taking notes. Ink pens, markers, and highlighters are not allowed. Pencils will be provided upon request. No marks may be added to or erased from any material.
- Archives staff will provide materials one box at a time. Do not change the order of folders in boxes or the order of documents in folders. If the order appears to have been disturbed, please notify the Archives staff. Before placing folders back in boxes, please straighten the contents.
- Use all materials flat on the table or on a book cradle. Do not lay books face down and do not use harmful bookmarks, such as pencils, rulers, and other books. If paper slips must be used as bookmarks, please take extra care to remove all of them before returning the material.
- Do not remove photographs, negatives, and slides from their protective sleeves. Cotton gloves will be provided for handling these materials if they are not sleeved.
- Do not trace, write on, or fold materials. Do not write on paper that is placed on top of materials.
- Reproduction (via self-scanning or taking images by tablet and phone cameras) is allowed. There is no charge for use of department scanners. However, Archives staff may forbid the use of cameras or scanners if you mishandle material, or if your methods of reproduction pose any risk to our materials or cause disruption in our Reading Room.
- If it will damage materials or if there is intent to violate copyright, we reserve the right to prevent duplication of materials.
- We reserve the right to inspect all research material and all personal articles before a patron leaves the Reading Room.
- Use of materials may be restricted because of following reasons: donor requests, poor physical condition, protecting personal privacy or legitimate proprietary rights, maintaining reasonable administrative confidentiality, or if unprocessed.
- While materials from these collections are in your hands, it is your responsibility to handle them with care.
Citing Archives Materials
In the case of course research, publication, exhibition, or commercial use, we ask that proper acknowledgement be made. Citation style will vary depending upon the style guide being used, but the following can serve as a basic reference:
[Description of item, year(s)]. Series #, Box #, Folder #. Carver and Mecklenburg Colleges collection, CPA.032. Central Piedmont Community College Archives, Charlotte, North Carolina.