Special Collections understands that not everyone has the time or ability to make it to our Reading Room at the Pattee and Paterno Libraries. In order to support research and improve accessibility, we are happy to offer limited remote services for those that need help from afar! Our current remote services include staff-assisted scanning and limited in-depth research.
With patron direction, Research Services staff can do in-depth investigation within our collections for up to an hour, such as (but not limited to): looking for specific correspondence within a small range of folders, identifying documents on a specific subject or date range, or checking for a name within a ledger. Our research services will not include extensive qualitative or quantitative analysis, or interpretation of materials. For larger orders we may ask you to identify 3-5 folders from your desired collection to help us narrow down our search and maximize the limited research time we have. As can often happen in archival research, we may not find what you are looking for in that hour and would suggest that you plan a visit with us in the future or hire a proxy researcher at your own discretion.
We can also offer limited scanning/duplication services at a modest fee to help us recover costs. We offer low-res PDF scans up to 300 pages total, with 50 pages free for non-PSU affiliates and 100 pages free for PSU affiliates. All other formats (A/V, slides and negatives, or hi-res photographic quality images) are charged per item. To see our current costs for duplication of materials, look for Audio Duplication, Moving Image, Photographs, and Special Collections Items in the Reproduction section. We can also offer rush service (less than 5-day turnaround, pricing under the Misc. Fee-Based Services section). Turnaround for duplication varies depending on our current queue and the size and complexity of your order, but we try to work within a 1-3 week timeline.
If you still have questions about our remote services or how Special Collections can help you from a distance, please email us at spcollections@psu.edu for more information!