The Kislak Center

for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

 Reader Services

Reading Room Access
All readers are welcome to consult Rare Book and Manuscript Library materials in the reading room during our regular opening hours.

Although appointments are not required, researchers with special interests or those wishing to consult large collections may wish to contact us in advance so that we may provide assistance. Note also that some collections are stored offsite and not accessible except by prior arrangement. Please email us with any questions.

Note that hours may vary during intersessions and holiday periods; please consult our website for special closings. Admittance to the reading room ends 15 minutes prior to our closing time.

Non-PennCard holders must make prior arrangements with our staff if they wish to visit during examination periods or if they plan on arriving after 6:00 PM on Wednesday. Please email us with any questions.

The reading room is only for consultation of collection materials and may not be used for general study.

Registration & Policies
Upon entering the reading room reception, please sign into our guestbook and provide the receptionist a current and valid photographic ID card. Your ID card will be held at the reception desk during the duration of your visit. On your first visit you must fill out the appropriate registration forms.

All personal belongings must be stored in the lockers provided or our coat closet.  Keys will be kept at the reception desk.

Laptop computers, small cameras, pencils, secondary material, and reference books may be brought into the reading room.  Pencils and paper for notes are provided inside the reading room. All other items such as pens, highlighters, markers, and hand scanners are not permitted. Personal notes are only allowed to be brought into the reading room with the approval of staff. All items being brought into the reading room will be inspected by the receptionist prior to entering, and items will be inspected again before you leave.

Absolutely no food or drinks are allowed in the reading room areas.  Please dispose of any open food or drink before entering, or store unopened food or drink in your locker. Water fountains and restrooms are located outside of the reading room, down a nearby hallway.

All cell phones should be left on silent or vibrate.  We ask that patrons refrain from talking on cell phones while they are in the reading room.

Requesting and Reserving Materials
Collection materials must be requested using call slips available in the reading room, and all items must be consulted in the reading room. Computer stations will be located in the reading room for you to look up call numbers. Please consult a staff member if you are unfamiliar with filling out our call slips. Staff will endeavor to deliver on-site materials promptly within 10 to 15 minutes. Reading room staff may limit the number of items that can be used at a time.

Please note that some of our collections are stored off-site, and retrieval will take at least one business day. Consult one of our staff members to determine if the materials you need are stored off-site.

For quicker access on return visits, you may place materials on hold. Materials that have not been consulted for over two weeks will be re-shelved.

Handling Materials
We ask that researchers arrive in the Reading Room with clean hands; restrooms are located adjacent to the reception area. Reading Room staff will provide instruction on the proper handling of collection materials in the reading room. In the case of book requests, book cradles and book weights will be provided for you. In the case of manuscripts, please leave all materials flat on the table. Readers are required to consult only one box and/or one folder at a time. Please be considerate of the materials and handle them with care.   Any questions about the condition or handling of items, or about the ordering or condition of materials that you are consulting, should be brought to the attention of Reading Room staff.

 Digital Humanities Inquiries

The Kislak Center supports Digital Humanities projects through the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS) and through the Vitale Special Collections Digital Media Lab (Vitale 2). If you have a project idea and you would like to consult with Vitale 2, please contact Dot Porter, Curator, Digital Research Services, at dorp@upenn.edu.

 Special Collections Digital Media Lab (Vitale 2)

What is the Mission of the Lab?
The Vitale Special Collections Digital Media Lab (Vitale 2) will provide technology and staff resources for Digital Humanities projects involving cultural heritage materials.
This service is intended for:
- the Penn Community, especially faculty members, SIMS fellows, and graduate students who are involved in projects
  that could benefit from the advanced technology and training available through Vitale 2.
- Individuals or organizations that may want to partner with Penn scholars in collaborative digital humanities projects.

How does Vitale 2 follow its mission?
By supporting relevant digital humanities projects:
- Helps turn research undertaken in the Kislak Center into digital product
- Provides training for creating digital humanities projects, for classes and through one on one supervision
- Provides courses and workshops on current digital humanities topics
- Supports Digital Humanities Forum seed projects where appropriate
- Provides a venue for long term support of sponsored DH projects generated by Library staff, Penn faculty and grad students
- Provides masterclasses in DH by visiting experts

How are projects selected for support?
Each project must be submitted for approval to the Vitale 2 staff. Projects can come from anywhere, but we are particularly interested in:
- Projects suggested by or currently under development by Penn faculty
- Projects generated by the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies (SIMS)
- Digital Humanities Forum seed projects
- Projects directed to Vitale 2 from WIC
- Projects suggested by Kislak Center curatorial staff

Approval will be based on:
- The degree to which the project is based on unique content. Projects involving special collections content at Penn will be prioritized.
- The expected outcome of the project. Priority will be given to open access projects.
- The amount and type of technology resources required
- The amount and type of Vitale 2 staff involvement required

If you have a project idea and you would like to consult with Vitale 2, please contact Dot Porter, Curator, Digital Research Services, at dorp@upenn.edu.

How is the Lab Staffed?
Vitale 2 staff will be expected to help facilitate projects and assist scholars in their work. This can include assistance with hardware and software and suggestions of resources or approaches, but the actual work on the project will be done by the scholars involved. Staffing will be provided initially by the Curator, Digital Research Services, a Web Developer, and the Programmer for Special Collections Digital Content (starting July 9).

Availability
Beginning on September 1, the Lab will be open for walk-in consultation Monday-Friday, 1:00-3:00pm. At other times it will be open by appointment, depending on staff availability and projects' requirements.

How are projects delivered and published?
Any type of web hosting of results of a project will have to be evaluated based on the ability of the Library to host the project and the intended life span of the project.

 Reprographic Services

The Kislak Center provides photocopying and digital scanning services. All reprographic requests will be assessed by our curatorial staff, and curators may refuse requests due to an item's physical condition, copyright laws, or other restrictions.

Placing an Order
In our Reading Room: please use the forms available in the Reading Room for submitting reprographic services requests.  Clearly mark pages being requested, and include a detailed description of your request on the order form.  If at all possible, requests should be confirmed with our Reprographic Services Coordinator, Elton-John Torres, before leaving the Reading Room. Special arrangements may include specific scan resolutions, file formats, delivery and payment methods.

Off-site: Please submit all reproduction requests by emailing our Reprographic Services Coordinator, Elton-John Torres (eltonjpt@pobox.upenn.edu). Requests should be as specific as possible and should include page numbers as well as titles, authors, and if possible, call numbers.

Turnaround time
All orders are processed in the order they are received.  Approximate turnaround periods vary based on material format and demand, but patrons can expect orders to be completed in four to six weeks.

Pricing and payment
Orders are invoiced once they are completed.  We do not require pre-payment for our services.  

Fees
Photocopies: Fees for photocopies are $0.35 per page (regardless of paper size). Photocopy orders less than 100 pages will include a $5.00 service charge, while orders exceeding 100 pages will be assessed a $10.00 service charge.

Digital scans: Our standard resolution for scanning materials is 600 dpi in either TIF or JPEG formats. Individual scans are $1.00 per scan (regardless of resolution and file format), while complete works (i.e. entire books or collections of manuscripts) are $0.50 per page. Each scan order will include a $5.00 service charge (waived for PennCard holders). We provide a variety of scanning options for patrons desiring electronically accessible facsimiles or PDFs of books and manuscripts. Files can be individually customized depending on patron needs and can be delivered on CD-ROM or electronically. Delivery of digital images by CD-ROM will cost an additional $2.00 per CD-ROM. PennCard holders are exempt from service fees.

Payments
All payments must be made in U.S. currency.
Payments by cash, money order, or check drawn on a U.S. bank can be mailed to us at the following address:
Attn: Reprographic Services Payments
Kislak Center
3420 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

Payments by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) can be mailed to us at the address above or made by calling 215-746-5826.  For your safety, credit card information should not be transmitted via email.

Permission to Publish
For most library holdings the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center.

Requests to publish the unpublished writings of Theodore Dreiser or unattributed photographs in any manuscript collection should be directed to Nancy Shawcross, Curator of Manuscripts (shawcros@upenn.edu or 215-898-2065). Requests to publish material from the Edgar F. Smith Image Collection, the Furness Image Collection, or from printed books should be directed to Lynne Farrington, Curator of Printed Books (lynne@upenn.edu or 215-746-5828).