USA Archives' Services and Policies

The following policies and procedures govern access to and use of collections at USA Archives:

Duplication Services
Access to Materials
Restrictions
Regulations for Use of Materials

Duplication Services

We can provide duplicates in many formats (photocopies, scans, digital and traditional reproductions, reformatted, etc.) provided that the original materials are in a good enough condition and there are no legal restrictions. Please keep in mind, however, that you may be charged a service fee for production of the duplicate. Fees are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Manuscript Collections
Photograph Collections

     Manuscript Collections

1. Archives staff can make photocopies for patrons if doing so will not damage the original.
2. Divorce Records: There is a $10 research/mailing fee per case payable in advance, plus a charge of $.25 per page. Normally we eliminate administrative documents with no substantive content (eg., subpoenas, order of publication, and lists of court costs) unless the researcher requests that we copy all the pages. Some of the cases are quite lengthy. We can inform you of your total costs before processing your request.
3. Naturalization Records: There is a $5 research/copying/mailing fee for each naturalization record request payable in advance. The record is usually a short entry in a court minute book. It is extremely rare to find the actual certificate. The information contained in these records is usually limited to nationality or country of allegiance, age, length of residency, and the month, day, and year of the declaration of intention or naturalization. No counties, provinces, cities, or towns are given. No other family members are listed.
4. Other Court Cases and Manuscript Collections: Extensive research involving other court cases and manucript collections is $25 per hour (minimum one hour) payable in advance. If more than one hour is required, the patron will be notified before additional fees are charged. If nothing is found, no more than one hour's charge will be assessed. Additional fees, as follows, will be charged for photocopies, postage, and long distance telephone calls: fax copies, $1.00 each; regular photocopies, 25 cents each; oversize photocopies, $1.00 each (when copies can be made without damage to the originals); oversize documents, such as maps and blueprints, $20 minimum.
5. The provisions of current U.S. Copyright Law or other legal questions apply; any and all responsibility for questions of copyright and/or other legal questions which may arise from facsimile reproduction of materials from the collections of the USA Archives or from the use of such reproductions, in any manner, will be assumed by the patron. For more on copyright, see the Copyright Management Center and their checklist.
6. If, in the judgement of the archivist, you have requested duplication of a substantial portion of a work or collection, we may decline, under copyright restrictions, to proceed, or require that the collection be microfilmed instead of photocopied. Microfilming may be more expensive to the patron but is less damaging to the materials.

7. We take all forms of payment except Discover. Make checks payable to the University of South Alabama Archives. Prices are subject to change without notice. Please allow at least ten working days after receipt of payment for your request to be processed.

     Photograph Collections

1. We make both digital and traditional prints for patrons from our photograph collections. Price is dependent on type of print and size.
2. Because commercial use fees are a major source of income for preserving our collections, both digital and traditional prints are subject to a use fee. This fee may be negotiable. Each additional or alternate use of the image(s) requires new negotiation of rights and payment of an additional use fee. For more on our commercial use policy, please see our commercial use fee page.
3. Photo duplicates can be mailed or sent by courier service for a minimum of $5.00 per shipment.
4. We can often expedite orders for a rush fee. For more about our fee schedule and turn around time for photographic orders, please see our photo services page.
5. You, the user, are responsbile for conforming to the laws governing copyright and libel. While some of our material is out of copyright protection, we still retain property rights to those items. Please keep in mind that we do not hold copyright to everything in our respository. If you should select an image for which we do not hold copyright or property rights, we will make every effort to direct you to the right party. For more on copyright, see the Copyright Management Center and their checklist.

Access to Materials

1. University Archives materials do not circulate.
2. All users must register annually. There is no cost for registration and no affiliation with the university is required. Registration is simple. You complete a form and provide us a copy of a photo ID. 
3. We do not charge to view collections.
4. We have approximately 20,000 5 x 7 and 8 x 10 photographic reproductions available for viewing in our research room. For security reasons, browsing of other collections is prohibited. Rather, you will be given access to our finding aids, from which you can determine the material you want. That material will then be retrieved for you by a member of the staff.
5. A few of our manuscript collections require either an appointment to view or prior notice of interest. Those requirements are documented in our alphabetical list of manuscript collections.
6. Some of our photographic and manuscript materials are listed in the university library's online catalog and some full finding aids are available on this site. Other collections cannot be searched remotely. Please contact us at archives@jaguar1.usouthal.edu if you need assistance locating material.
7. Some of our photograph collections may not be used for a commercial purpose. Again, that information is usually noted in the brief description of collections provided in our alphabetical list of photograph collections.
8. Researchers are urged to contact us ahead of time to ensure that we will be open, that the collection of interest is available, that adequate staff will be on hand, and that other relevant collections are made known.
9. For researchers who are unable to visit the archives, nominal fees are charged for manuscript and photographic requests that require archives staff to conduct research. Please see our Research Fees page for prices.
10. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate users with disabilities and/or special needs. Advance communication of your needs is very helpful.

Restrictions

1. While using our materials, you may have only paper and pencil. No pens are permitted. We have pencils available for you.
2. All bags, containers, purses, and computer cases must be placed in lockers located in the research room.
3. No self-service duplication is permitted.
4. Scanning of Archives' materials by use of your personal scanner or duplication of materials by use of your personal digital camera are prohibited, except in rare cases approved of beforehand by the archivist. Laptop computers may be used upon the approval of the archivist.  
5. Cell phones, recording and playback devices, and the like may only be used to access AV material or to take notes.
6. If the research room is full, you may be asked to turn off or mute electronic devices.
7. Your help in preserving our collections is greatly appreciation! If you discover materials in need of re-housing or preservation treatment, please bring them to the attention of staff.
8. You may have requested many items. Staff, however, will only allow you access to one box of material at a time. For your safety, staff will do all of the transporting.
9. Photographs from our collections may not be photographically or digitally altered in any way for purposes of reproduction or display.
10. USA Archives reserves the right to decide what materials in its collections are available for use and reproduction and what form that reproduction may take.
11. The fees charged for photographic reproductions does not in any way constitute sale of the original file print or negative, but is merely a fee charged for obtaining a copy print. The University of South Alabama retains all rights to the photographic materials on file in the USA Archives.

Regulations for Use of Materials

1. The provisions of current U.S. Copyright Law or other legal questions apply; any and all responsibility for questions of copyright and/or other legal questions which may arise from facsimile reproduction of materials from the collections of the USA Archives or from the use of such reproductions, in any manner, will be assumed by the applicant. For more on copyright, see the Copyright Management Center and their checklist.
2. Photographs are procured for purposes of private study and/or scholarly research.   Reproduction, i.e., in a publication or for any other purpose, or donation to another institution without the written consent of the USA Archives is prohibited. The archives reserves to itself the sole right to copy or reproduce its photographs.
3. Any material from the archives used in a publication must be credited to the University of South Alabama Archives. If it is from a particular collection in the archives, that collection must also be credited. The staff will supply the appropriate wording for this credit line. The person ordering a picture and requesting permission for its use will be responsible for the credit line. All published photos must include the credit line on the same page as the photo.
4. All reproduction, electronic or photographic, from materials in the archives will be made on the premises by the archives' staff. The original negatives may not leave the premises without authorization from the archivist. Such authorization must be requested in writing and state reasons why the reproduction cannot be made by the archives' staff.
5. If photographs from the USA Archives are used in a publication, a copy of that publication should be sent to the archives for its files.
6. Any photograph made by the USA Archives which is put on display must be accompanied by a credit line displayed with the picture. The archives will be happy to work out a mutually agreeable arrangement for doing this at the time photos are ordered.
7. Any person or organization not abiding by these regulations, including failure to give proper credit, will be denied access to the use of materials in the archives and may be subject to other penalties as well.