PIRC

Policies

Reading Room Rules

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The reading room is a work place for researchers and staff. Please be courteous. Students may access some drawings, but must bring a letter from a professor requesting permission for access. Certain drawings can also be copied for Harvard students. However, students must arrange for credit card payment with the reprographics company. The PIRC may refuse to allow students to access or copy some materials based on the records restrictions outlined above.

Thank you for your cooperation. Following these rules will help us to preserve our collections, so that researchers can continue to benefit from the information they contain.

  • Many materials, such as drawings and archival files, are stored off-site and must be requested through the PIRC staff. Generally most materials will be available within 24 hours and will be held for one week.
  • Researchers working on Harvard University renovation and construction project managers must provide a valid 33-digit code, name of the their project manager, and valid photo identification.
  • Harvard University students and faculty must show a copy of their valid student identification.
  • All briefcases, purses, coats, and other personal articles must be deposited on a chair or shelf away from the reading room table. Only those materials needed for research may be taken to the tables.
  • Use only pencils when taking notes. Pens are not permitted.
  • Beverages may not be drunk in any area where original documents are present, except in a spill-proof container.
  • All photocopying is subject to approval. Please ask the reference staff.
  • The use of personal computers is allowed. Permission is required for the use of tape recorders, cameras, and other equipment.
  • Limited and courteous use of cell phones is permitted, provided it does not disrupt other researchers or staff. Please be courteous and limit your phone conversations. Extended phone conversations should take place outside of the PIRC reading room.
  • All researchers must complete a registration form on an annual basis.
  • The PIRC reserves the right to inspect all research material and all personal articles before a patron leaves the area.
  • Use of materials may be restricted by:
    • Donor request
    • Poor physical condition
    • Need to protect personal privacy or legitimate proprietary rights
    • Need to maintain reasonable administrative confidentiality
    • Uncataloged status
  • Eating, drinking, gum, pets and animals are not permitted at the reference table. Smoking is prohibited in Holyoke Center
  • Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times.

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Handling the Collections

  • While material is in your hands, it is your responsibility. Please respect it and handle it with care.
  • Please make sure your hands are clean. Avoid applying creams or lotions to your hands immediately before handling materials as the oils can transfer and cause considerable damage. After eating, staff members and researchers should wash their hands before handling materials.
  • The PIRC may require the use of white cotton gloves when handling fragile materials and always with photographs or negatives. This prevents soiling the documents and damaging the paper fibers.
  • Do not rearrange the order in which materials are delivered to you.
  • No marks are to be added or erased from any item.
  • Tracings and rubbings are not permitted.
  • Do not lay paper or cards on an object when writing notes. This practice leaves an impression that will shorten the life of the material. Records should not be leaned on, marked, or folded.
  • Do not lay books open face down, or employ harmful bookmarks such as pencils, rulers, other books, etc. Broken spines and torn pages are the result of such treatment.
  • To mark your place, use paper-marking flags; please ask the reference staff. Do not use paper clips or post-it notes.
  • Notebooks or paper used for taking notes must never be placed on top of archival materials.

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Ordering Reproductions

  • All patrons must first have an on-site PIRC appointment for an orientation and to sign our Copyright and Use form. No requests will be processed for patrons without a registration form on file.
  • For reasons of staff resources, security, and overall efficiency, the PIRC does not accept requests for drawing reproductions via e-mail.
  • Patrons must use the PIRC request form (available only from PIRC staff) to request drawings. This form assists us in collecting all the information necessary to ensure accurate and expeditious request fulfillment.
  • A valid 33-digit billing code is also required at the time of request.
  • Response time: Please bear in mind that all our hard copy drawings are stored off-site and that copies are made by an outside vendor.
    • Drawings: 24 hours for PIRC staff to pull drawings from storage, plus 2-3 business days for reprographics orders. Rush orders are available, but only from the reprographics vendor. We make every effort to fill orders expeditiously; however, due to the PIRC's small staff, we cannot guarantee rush processing will be possible. Please be aware that some items in the collection are too fragile to be copied.
    • CAD files: 24 hours for PIRC staff to copy and e-mail or burn to CD.
    • TIFF files: 1) extant electronic files: 24 hours for PIRC staff to copy and e-mail or burn to CD; 2) new TIF scans from Aperture Cards: 48 hours for PIRC staff to pull aperture cards and create TIF scans to e-mail or burn to CD.
    • PDF files: 1) extant electronic files: 24 hours for PIRC staff to copy and e-mail or burn to CD; 2) new PDF scans from Aperture Cards: 48 hours for PIRC staff to pull aperture cards and create scans to e-mail or burn to CD.
    • Unprocessed/Uncataloged materials: Older materials and new acquisitions not yet cataloged may require a longer turn-around time.
  • It is the researcher's responsibility to respect copyright regulations per U.S. Copyright Law fair use guidelines.
  • Permission to publish images or quote from materials must be obtained from the PIRC manager.

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Warning concerning copyright restrictions

Copyright rules may apply to the use and reproduction of all materials, therefore digital photographs may not be taken without special permission. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, USC) specifies that archives and libraries are only authorized to furnish a photocopy or reproduction under specified fair use conditions. Fair use conditions state that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of fair use, that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The PIRC reserves the right to refuse a copying order if, in its judgment, the fulfillment of that order would involve violation of copyright law. This fair use policy extends to the use of digital cameras. Capital Appropriation Project System (CAPS, Harvard log-in required) Records

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Policy for Use of Materials

The Property Information Resource Center serves the staff of the University Planning Office, Harvard Real Estate Services, the Allston Development Group and Harvard University project managers, facilities managers and their agents. We serve the general Harvard community and other scholars in a limited way and by appointment only. Please note that certain records may be restricted and therefore unavailable to researchers outside of UPO, HRES, and ADG. These records may include the following:

  • Select architectural and/or technical drawings
  • Proprietary information or intellectual property records
  • Legal records
  • Financial records

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Obtaining Duplicates and Fee Schedule

Reprographic and photographic reproduction services are available. Reprographic services for architectural drawings require a minimum of two business days. A microfiche reader-printer-scanner is also available.

Access and/or provision of photocopies or other copies does not constitute permission to publish, reproduce, exhibit, broadcast, or electronically disseminate department materials. Permission must be obtained by separate agreement. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, USC) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, archives and libraries are authorized to furnish a photocopy or reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

To estimate costs, please see our fee schedule.

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What We Collect From Capital Projects

The PIRC collects the following materials for projects tracked through the Capital Appropriation Project System (CAPS).

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