Special Collections  Tags: history humanities primary_sources literature medieval middle_ages renaissance judaica special_collections brandeis_library_information  

What are "Special Collections," and what is the difference between "Special Collections" and "Archives"?

The Special Collections Department collects and holds rare books (including incunabula, Judaica, first editions, and much more), manuscripts (including material on the Spanish Civil War, left- and right-wing movements in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, Zionism, etc.), and other primary-source materials that support research and scholarship. Examples include the Shakespeare first folio, Joseph Heller’s draft manuscript of Catch-22, the Honoré Daumier lithograph collection, and the personal papers of Louis D. Brandeis. The University Archives collects and holds records related to Brandeis University, from its founding to today. These include departmental records, university and student publications, theses and dissertations, photographs, memorabilia, architectural plans, and more, in all formats. Examples include the Abram L. Sachar papers (the first president of Brandeis), the University Photography collection, the Division of Student Life records, and the University Memorabilia collection. The Archives & Special Collections Department is responsible for collecting, preserving, and making available these unique, rare, and historically valuable materials for research and educational purposes.

Where is the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections department?

Archives & Special Collections is located on level 2 of the Goldfarb Library at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. We are one floor down from the main entrance of Goldfarb, through the glass display area.

What hours is the department open?

The department is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (and closed on holidays).

What is a finding aid (or guide)?

A finding aid is an inventory of a specific collection of materials. It describes the different parts of the collection and their relationships to one another, as well as providing background information. Finding aids also provide a detailed list of a collection’s contents, usually in the form of a folder list. The finding aid enables you to see exactly what items we have and to request them by box number and folder title when you make an appointment. Some of our finding aids are online; others are in print only.

Our online finding aids can be found at http://lts.brandeis.edu/research/archives-speccoll/collections/index.html

and can be searched at http://lts.brandeis.edu/research/archives-speccoll/search/specialsearch.html

Do I need an appointment to use Special Collections?

Unless you are just stopping by with a call number in your hand, we strongly encourage you to contact us before coming in to do research. This way we can identify what you need and have it ready for you when you arrive. It also gives us a chance to think about your question and possibly identify other less obvious sources of information. You can email us at ascdepartment@brandeis.edu, or call 781-736-4686. The department is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm (closed on holidays).

If I think you have a certain collection, or materials on a particular person or event, how do I find out?

You may visit our website and browse our list of collections, or use the Google search box provided on our main page and on internal pages. Our electronic finding aids are indexed by Google; a Google search for “Gardner Jackson,” for example (using quotation marks), will retrieve a link to the online finding aid to the Gardner Jackson collection at Brandeis. Feel free to contact us by email or phone to find out if we have useful materials you may not have considered, or even materials for which we have yet to create online finding aids. Or, if you prefer, you may also contact the department to see if we are available to chat with you.

You can also try ArchiveGrid, a database available via BrandeisScholar, which will search for archival and manuscript holdings not only at Brandeis but at libraries, museums, and archives around the world.

Can I make copies? What do you charge for copying?

We make all photocopies for you with a preservation photocopier. Members of the Brandeis community are charged $.20 per photocopy; non-Brandeis researchers are charged $.25. If your request is small, chances are we will be able to photocopy the materials for you right away. Larger requests may take several days to complete. We will also make high-resolution adjusted scans for you at $5 each. All reproductions are for educational or personal use only, and you must agree to comply with copyright law. Personal cameras and scanners may be brought in with permission; not all collections are available for photographing or scanning.

What are those strict rules I have heard about?

We have requirements that are different from those in the regular library in order to protect our unique, sometimes irreplaceable, items. No food or drinks are allowed in the department. All belongings that you are not using for study must be stored in our coat closet. Pencils or laptop computers are to be used for all note taking (no pens are allowed in the reading room). Cameras and scanners are allowed with permission. All materials must remain in the reading room. Materials need to be handled carefully; if you notice that an item is fragile, please be extra careful. Although it may not be readily apparent, all materials are maintained in a particular order and should be kept that way; folders within boxes and items within folders must not be shuffled.

I am a Brandeis faculty member. Can I take my class to Archives & Special Collections to use the materials?

You certainly can, and we would be happy to help you put together a class using Archives & Special Collections materials. We are also available to come to your class to give workshops on finding and using primary sources, Brandeis history, and many other topics related to Archives & Special Collections. We have collections relevant to many different fields of study; if you would like to know what interesting materials we can show your students, please get in touch with us.

Who was Robert D. Farber?

Robert D. Farber was a Brandeis alumnus (he received his bachelor’s degree in studio arts in 1970) who became a successful painter, with work shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and many others. Two of Farber's paintings are on permanent exhibit in the department.