Access to Materials
The Archives & Special Collections is open by appointment to all members of the WSU Vancouver campus community, visiting scholars, and the general public. The collections include unique and rare items that require security measures to assure the preservation of materials for future access. Therefore, the availability and use of some materials in the collections will be limited for purposes of academic scholarship only.
All collections are non-circulating. Materials are located on-site in a secure area of the library and may be retrieved and viewed upon request. The collections are available by appointment. The hours of the Archives & Special Collections vary and you are encouraged to contact the archives staff if you wish to view materials from a collection. All requests should be directed to Robert Schimelpfenig: Email: schimo@wsu.edu; Phone: (360) 546-9249.
Collections are generally available to the public, but some materials may have restrictions imposed on them per agreement between the library and donors. In some cases, access to collections will be limited.
What you need to know before accessing collections
Library Card and Identification Card
Before accessing collections, patrons are required to present their library card and/or faculty/staff/student identification card. Although all collections in the archive are non-circulating, access to books and other items are checked out to patrons for in-house use only.
Project description
Before using archive materials patrons might be asked to provide a brief description of their research project or have an informal interview with staff.
What is allowed when accessing items from the archive
Slips of writing paper, pencils, computer laptops (without cases) are allowed into the archive. Books from outside of the archive collections will be allowed with approval from archive staff.
What is not allowed when accessing items from the archive
Food and drinks are prohibited when using the archive. Bags, jackets, folders, note pads and cases are not allowed. For further questions about restricted materials please contact the archive staff.
Returning Items
All books requested from the archive should be returned to archive staff. Requests and arrangements to place items on hold for an extended period of time can be made with archive staff.
Reproduction of archive materials
At this time the archive does not provide photocopy services or photograph reproduction. See staff for the availability of digital images.
Contact the Archives & Special Collections
Robert Schimelpfenig
Archivist
schimo@wsu.edu
(360) 546-9249