General Information

Instructions for Manuscripts Users

Requests for photocopies of manuscripts will be considered if copying can be done without injury to the material and does not violate copyright restrictions. If permission for photocopying is granted, up to twenty exposures of single pages per day may be requested for the reader's personal reference use. However, no more than twenty pages of copies may be requested from a single manuscript volume, regardless of how many days a reader is at the AAS. Also, no more than twenty copies per day may be requested from a single collection, even if the collection is used by two or more researchers working together. These limits exist for preservation reasons, and may not be exceeded. "Photocopying Request" slips, available at the Reference Services desk, are used to flag pages within folders and volumes. A slip should be filled out and placed on top of each item or page to be copied.

At this time the AAS is unable to provide any scanning services. For preservation reasons, we do not allow handheld scanners in the reading room.

Permission to examine materials or receipt of photocopies does not constitute an authorization to publish them. Separate written application for permission for publication must be made to the curator of manuscripts.

Approximately nine hundred collections are available for searching in the online catalog (MARK). The remainder of the collections may be found using the four volume set entitled, Catalogue of the Manuscript Collections of the American Antiquarian Society (Boston : G.K. Hall & Co., 1979). Please refer to both when searching for a person, subject, etc., and keep in mind that there may be some duplication of results.

After finding the collection or collections of interest, please proceed to the Manuscript Collection Descriptions binders housed to the right of the Reference Services desk. These binders contain a description for each collection, as well as a contents list, if necessary. The information in these binders is used in filling out the call slip.

When filling out call slips for manuscripts requests, write the "location" information in the call number area. Write the "collection name" on the author and title lines. Write the item(s) (e.g., one octavo volume; box 1, folder 3; folio volume 6) requested on the remaining lines. If you have any questions, see a member of our Reference Services Department for help.