Frequently Asked Questions

  1. When can I use the collections? When can I view the exhibitions?
  2. I would like to visit Special Collections. What do I need to know?
  3. I would like information about my antiquarian book or manuscript.
  4. How much is my antiquarian book worth?
  5. How can I obtain a copy of a certain manuscript or book?
  6. How can I use an image or a quote from an item in Special Collections?
  7. Why can’t Special Collections answer my reference question?
  8. I would like to order copies of master’s thesis or dissertation written by a University of Virginia student.
  9. Can I use a digital camera or scanner?
  10. I would like a job in Special Collections.
  11. How should I take care of my antiquarian manuscript or book?
  12. How can I locate the copyright holder for an unpublished manuscript?

When can I use the collections? When can I view the exhibitions?

Special Collections is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during the academic school year. During the summer, Special Collections hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., When the University of Virginia is not in session, Special Collections is open on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. See the University’s academic calendar at http://www.virginia.edu/registrar/calendar.html to find out when school is in session.

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I would like to visit Special Collections. What do I need to know?

We welcome your visit to Special Collections. Our reading room is located on the first floor of the new Harrison Institute/Small Library, one floor down from the main entrance. Our hours of operation are 9am to 9pm, Monday through Thursday, 9am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday during the academic school year. Hours vary slightly during the summer and intersession when evening hours are suspended and Saturday hours may be shortened. When you arrive in our reading room you will be required to fill out a short registration form and to show a picture ID (driver's license, passport, etc.). After registering you may then request Special Collections materials at one of our public computer terminals. Retrieval of materials usually takes only a matter of minutes. We normally do not pull materials in advance of a researcher’s visit except for items housed off-grounds in a storage facility. Researchers view materials in the Special Collections Reading Room. Only loose paper, pencils and a laptop computer are permitted in the reading room. No bags, envelopes, folders, notebooks, tablets, or containers of any type are permitted. Lockers are provided to secure your belongings. Accommodations and parking within walking distance of the Library are noted on our website at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/.

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I would like information about my antiquarian book or manuscript.

Due to the high volume of reference requests that we receive, we regret that we cannot answer questions that are not specifically about copies of books or manuscripts in our collections. Here are some suggestions for finding information about your book:

If you are particularly interested in rare materials, you can do an advanced search and select Special Collections as the library in the pull-down menu. Visit our Special Collections in person to view materials in our collection. You can also hire an independent researcher to look at materials in our collection on your behalf. A list of independent researchers can be found at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/services/researcher.html. You can also look at our list of appraisers at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/services/appraiser.html or you can look under "Book Dealers, Used and Rare" in your local yellow pages for an appraiser near you. If in the course of your research you have a question about a specific copy of a book or manuscript owned by the Special Collections Department, please contact us again.

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How much is my antiquarian book worth?

Although we are not able to research book prices for you, here are some suggestions for finding information about your book: Search your book online at http://www.bookfinder.com or http://www.abebooks.com to see if any antiquarian dealers have a book for sale that matches the description of your book. Look under "Book Dealers, Used and Rare" in your local yellow pages for an appraiser near you. You can also look at our list of appraisers at http://lib.virginia.edu/small/services/appraiser.html.

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How can I obtain a copy of a certain antiquarian or book?

Search your book online at http://www.bookfinder.com or http://www.abebooks.com to see if any antiquarian dealers have a book for sale that matches the description of your book.
To order photocopies, photographs, digital images, or microfilm of Special Collections materials, see http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/services/duplication.html.

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How can I use an image or a quote from an item in Special Collections?

It is not necessary to seek the Library’s permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise distribute portions of texts or individual images (up to 20 from any given work or collection) for educational or scholarly purposes, whether undertaken by non-commercial or commercial publishers or distributors. Requests to publish or distribute larger amounts of material or questions regarding permissions should be addressed to Special Collections. Reproductions may not be made for or donated to other repositories.

Please see our complete policy on use of our materials for additional information.

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Why can’t Special Collections answer my reference question?

If we determine that answering your question will take more than 30 minutes of staff time to answer, we may driect you to other sources. Our holdings of rare book titles and manuscript collections are accessible for searching through the University of Virginia Library's on-line catalog, VIRGO, at http://virgo.lib.virginia.edu. Additionally, through the Special Collections web page at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/ there are searchable guides and finding aids to many of our manuscript collections. If you are unable to visit Special Collections to view materials, please consult our list of independent researchers in the Charlottesville area who are familiar with our collections and may be employed to do in-depth research at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/services/researcher.html.

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I would like to order copies of a master’s thesis or dissertation written by a University of Virginia student.

You can order copies of UVa dissertations and some UVa theses at http://umi.com.
If the master’s thesis that you are seeking is not available at this website, you can request that Special Collections make a photocopy for you. However, because UVa master’s theses and dissertations are published documents and are inherently copyrighted, you must limit your request to one chapter or 10% of the entire work, which ever is less. In order to have more than a chapter copied, you need to get written permission from the author. Contact the Student Records Department at Alumni Hall (434/243-9066 or 434/243-9067) to request the most recent address for an alumnus. The author can mail his written permission to Special Collections Library, P.O. Box 400110, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110 or fax it to our attention at (434) 924-4968.

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Can I use a digital camera or scanner?

Hand-held personal digital cameras may be used in the Reading Room only with the permission of our reference staff. The items that you wish to photograph must be examined by the desk attendant and evaluated for physical condition, copyright issues, and donor restrictions. Use of a flash or other lighting is prohibited. The use of tripods or camera supports will not generally be permitted. Flatbed or hand-held scanners are not permitted.

If you are planning a research visit to Special Collections and would like to know in advance whether we will approve your use of a digital camera, please submit a request through our online reference request form and let us know which materials you may wish to photograph When you arrive, the desk attendant will provide you with a card that must be included in each digital image. This card identifies the material as being housed at UVa Special Collections.

Images of materials that are made in our Reading Room must not be used for publication or use on a website without permission of our department. For information on using Special Collections materials in publications or on websites, please refer to our Use, Reproduction, and Publication of Materials policy.

[updated 02/23/07]

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I am a UVa Student and I would like a job in Special Collections.

We hire undergraduate- and graduate-level student assistants for jobs in Special Collections both during the school year and during the summer months. If you are interested in a job and you are currently enrolled as a full time student at the University of Virginia, please contact Anne Causey at apc7f@virginia.edu.

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How should I take care of my antiquarian manuscript or book?

The American Institute for Conservation has a page on taking care of your treasures at
http://aic.stanford.edu/library/online/brochures/index.html

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How can I locate the copyright holder for an unpublished manuscript?

The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin maintains the WATCH file: Writers and Their Copyright Holders at http://tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/. The burden of securing permission to publish from a copyright holder rests with the researcher or the publisher.

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