Friends Collection and College Archives  Tags: history quaker archives earlham esr  

Some of our policies may contrast with the policies of Lilly Library as a whole. Our hours are different, and we do not allow food or drink in the archives. Many of our items cannot be used outside the reading room. If you need copies from a rare book or manuscript collection, we will make them for you. Why?

Our hours are more limited as we have two professional archivists available for reference and research help during the day and occasional evening/weekend hours. Student workers help keep our archives open on the weekend and weekday evenings for limited research help. We wish we could be open more extensively, but with a professional staff of two it simply is not possible. If you have a class project that might require using primary sources, it is best to plan in advance!

Archives materials are valuable and often unique items, which is why we need to keep the Archives locked and secure after hours. Our rare books and manuscript collections must be used within our cozy reading room so they do not accidentally get lost. Many of our older items are brittle and must be handled carefully. If something happens to our rare books or manuscripts, they cannot be replaced. Consistent with Earlham's principles and practices, we put a high level of trust into our student workers and the Earlham community by allowing backpacks into the reading room and overall a casual research atmosphere.

Rare items will be photocopied by archives staff so as to help better preserve them. Sometimes, if you use a particularly rare book or handle photographs, we may ask you to use white gloves for preservation purposes.

Food and drink is NOT allowed due to crumbs attracting various critters. Sightings have included silverfish, cockroaches, ants, and salamanders. Please help us preserve our unique materials!

Friends Collection and College Archives is open to anyone interested in researching in our collections including Earlham College students, staff, and faculty; scholars from other institutions of higher learning; and genealogists. Anyone can use our collections.

Please note that we have a small staff. Sometimes, the archives is staffed by student workers who can help you find individual items, but if you need help with getting started on research or are visiting from out of town, it is best to contact archivists Thomas Hamm or Anne Thomason prior to visiting or visit the Archives when they are in the office. Tom or Anne will generally be in the office during the weekday hours of 9-5.

During the school year, our opening hours are as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:

9-12; 1-5; 7-9

Friday:

9-12, 1-5

Saturday and Sunday:

1-4

Please note that sometimes we are in meetings or away from campus and we may have to unexpectedly close. We try to keep these times to a minimum, but we recommend calling ahead or emailing to be sure we will be open when you plan a visit.

There are NO evening or weekend hours during the summer or during school breaks.

Earlham College Archives collects:

1. Records and other materials relating to Indiana Yearly Meeting and Western Yearly Meeting (Orthodox or Friends United Meeting) and Northern Yearly Meeting.
2. Records and other materials relating to Friends United Meeting (formerly the Five Years Meeting of Friends).
3. Materials relating to the history of Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion.
4. Materials relating to the history of Richmond, Indiana, and adjacent areas.  Morrisson-Reeves Library in Richmond is a good starting point to discover Richmond archival material.
   
5. Materials relating to the life and history of Quakers in the Midwest.
6. Quaker genealogical material, published and unpublished.
7. Quaker publications of all kinds, including books, pamphlets, periodicals, and yearly meeting minutes.

The Friends Collection and Earlham College Archives will reproduce documents or images for on-site and off-site patrons. The Archives retains the right to refuse reproduction requests. Shipping charges will be assessed for all materials mailed to off-site users. The Friends Collection and Earlham College Archives will allow reproduction of materials for use in publications. Please contact the archivist for permission.

Photocopying:

For all researchers: 10 cents per page
For off-site researchers: for requests in excess of 50 pages, an additional $5.00 per hour fee will be assessed.

Digital Scans:

$10.00 per hour plus $1.00 per image
Digital images can be scanned onto a CD for $2.00 per disc or emailed for no additional charge. The Friends Collection and Earlham College Archives will retain a digital file of all scanned images. For requests for images wherein the Archives already holds a digital file, a fee of $2.00 per image will be assessed. We will provide scans in TIFF or JPEG form, at most resolutions, and most sizes. We may be able to scan text documents as well depending on your needs and the size of the document. Contact us!

Earlham, Earlham School of Religion, and Bethany Theological Seminary Students

Digital scans are provided free of charge to students working on a class project or a presentation related to Earlham. Students interested in a photo for personal use will be charged the usual digital scan fee.

American Friend Obituary Index:

This service is separate from other reproduction requests. All fees are included in the $5.00 charge.