Archivists and librarians work with the collections and materials every day. Don't be afraid to reach out to any librarian in the staff directory for research help. You can also find which archivist created the finding aid of a collection! If you'd like to know more about a specific collection, the archivist who worked on it and created its finding aid is likely the best person to ask for help, as they know the collection hands-on better than anyone.
Every Yale undergraduate is assigned to a personal librarian. They’ll be able to offer you personalized help and point you in the right direction. They can help with search strategies and even recommend different people who can help.
General subject specialists have familiarity with special collections, and if needed, can refer you to subject specialists that directly with special collections.
Curators know their curatorial area like the back of their hand, and they too are here to help if you want to do research within a specific area. You can find a curator in the staff directory of a repository whose curatorial area matches your research field. Sometimes they can even point to a specific collection that you may find useful.
Access services help retrieve items from their storage places and help you get settled in the reading room. They are experts at accessing collections and can help you with handling materials in the reading rooms as well as any questions about reproductions you may have. They work with the collections every day and may be able to answer research questions or they will point you to the right person who can.
Yale Library Security Department does more than just keeping you and the materials safe. They know the building inside out, and can help you navigate the library or direct you to the reading room if you’re having a hard time finding it. They can help you get settled in the reading room and answer questions about the libraries, and if they can’t answer, they can help you find a librarian who can!
- Make a search strategy! A search strategy will help cut down your time spent browsing search engines to find what you need. Before starting your search:
- Just because your initial keyword search didn’t turn up the item you want doesn’t mean the item doesn’t exist! Try a new keyword or use less filters.
- To understand why a search result popped up and to see if it's relevant to what you're looking for, make sure you scan these sections:
- You might be so sure something exists and that we have it, but sometimes it may just be in a different collection not at Yale, such as another university’s special collections , someone’s private collection, or even in some grandmother’s attic.
- Don’t use too many filters if you don’t know exactly what you want, because you may accidentally exclude and overlook relevant items and collections.
- Correspondence written by someone will most likely not be in a collection of the sender’s papers. They sent it out to someone else, therefore it will probably be in a collection with the recipient’s papers.
- Reach out to subject specialists that can help you find something within a specific field of study. They can also refer you to special collections librarians and/or curators who can help.
- Don’t forget you have a personal librarian for research advice! They can offer personalized research advice.
- Depending on what the item is and its location or repository , it’s possible to request something for same day viewing but this is not the case for the majority of items.
- Some storage locations for items are different from the reading room location, so expect a few business days for access services staff to retrieve your item(s).
- Check to see if the item you want is in the Digital Library first before booking a visit to save yourself time!
- Not all items can be digitized due to various reasons such as being too fragile or copyright.
- Turnover time for getting materials digitized may take a while due to a high volume of materials in the work queue from university classes, non-Yale researchers, and COVID-19, so plan out your research schedule accordingly.
- For details and up-to-date policies on accessing collections in the reading room and requesting reproductions, visit the Guide to Using Special Collections at Yale University.
- The reading room is for everyone! Not just professors and researchers with years of experience! The library staff is there to help you with anything you need. Just ask access services to assist you if you’re unsure about anything while in the reading room.
- You’ll see uniformed security when you visit the reading rooms. The staff of the Library Security Department enforces the library's policies, rules and procedures with respect to the operations, security and safety of the library, its collections and occupants. They can also explain how the reading room works and help you get settled, and they know the buildings like the back of their hand if you need directions!
- Bring a pencil, not a pen, and a notebook to take notes in case you can’t take photos (you usually can).
- Special collections reading rooms are for viewing materials and have limited space, so don’t use the reading rooms to surf the web or look at your phone. Even better, leave your electronics with your personal belongings outside of the reading room if you don't need them!
- Born-digital materials may require special equipment or computer programs/systems to view depending on format. It may take a while to get used to using or viewing, but access services staff can help you with using the technology.
- Most written materials are written in cursive or hard to read handwriting. The more you read, the more you will adjust to the style of writing of both the person whose material you're reading and the general time period's style of writing. The further back in time you go, the harder handwriting can be to read.
- Some collections do contain foreign languages! This is a good time to document the writing down with your phone camera or your handy pencil and paper to translate later with Google translate, or find someone who can read that language to help you translate.
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