Library and Archive Policies

The Library and Archives at Meadville Lombard has facilities in Chicago to assist onsite researchers accessing archival material. This section provides an overview of those services and rules regulating their use. 

Archival materials are available to patrons by appointment only. To access archival material, patrons must contact the archives to schedule a visit and request specific collections to be pulled for access. Appointments should be made at least two weeks in advance of an intended visit. Please direct all archive appointment requests to archives@meadville.edu.

All archival materials and rare books are accessible to patrons, unless restricted by Meadville Lombard policy or donor agreement.

Access to fragile materials is at the discretion of the archives staff. Archives staff may require patrons to wear gloves or take other precautions to preserve fragile materials.

• Researchers may not pull archival themselves and must request materials be paged by archives staff. An archives staff member will always be available for assistance while researchers are on site.
• Only one box may be accessed at a time. Researchers should plan the timing of their visit accordingly, particularly when working with large scale collections. 
• No food or drink is allowed when using archival material. 
• Please only use pencils when making notes while viewing material. Pencils are made available to visiting researchers.
• Researchers are welcome to take photographs/phone scans of material that is not otherwise restricted. 

Archival material can be made available for in classroom use during on-campus sessions for Meadville Lombard courses. Professors can contact the archives to coordinate potential projects and activities with archival collections connected to course subject matter. Material can be used in the library or the classroom, depending on the fragility of the collection items and size of the class. An archivist will provide students an introduction to the materials - both the collection's history/coverage and how to physically interact with archival materials.

To request use of the archives during on-campus sessions, please contact archives@meadville.edu as early as possible prior to or at the start of the semester. Two weeks notice is necessary to have materials available.