Services

Materials stored at one of our off-site storage facilities may be temporarily inaccessible due to an ongoing inventory project. You will be notified if this applies to any materials you have requested. We anticipate the project will be complete by the fall of 2023.

We offer a variety of services to support research and learning:

Instructional visits
Research visits and consultations
Workshops and events
Duplication services
Educator resources
University records services

Instructional Visits

We invite you to request instruction sessions with archivists from Special Collections and Archives. We can introduce your students or members of your organization to archival research and our unique collections.

Fill out our instruction request form to arrange a visit. We require two weeks’ notice for instruction sessions and tours. Beginning with the Fall 2020 semester and until further notice, all instruction will be presented virtually.

Research Visits and Consultations

You’re welcome to visit our Reading Room by appointment during open hours to view our collections. You can use our online registration portal to make an appointment and request materials to view. An archivist or other staff member will be available during your appointment to answer questions.

If you cannot physically travel to use our collections, please email archives@gsu.edu and we will be happy to set up an appointment for remote research.

Do you have more in-depth research needs? Email us at archives@gsu.edu to schedule a consultation with an archivist.

If you have questions about finding, using or citing archival material, see our guide to archival research.

Workshops and Events

We offer regular workshops and events throughout the year, from annual receptions celebrating the opening of new exhibits in our gallery to celebrations of Atlanta Pride Month and Homecoming. Most events are open to the public. Mark your calendar for our most popular programs:

Oral History Workshop

Are you interested in documenting your family, community or organization through oral history but don’t know where to start? This half-day workshop will teach you how to plan, execute and preserve your own oral history interviews.

Georgia Women’s Movement Spring Event

Enjoy engaging speakers and mingle with inspiring women every year when we highlight stories from our Women’s Collections.

National History Research Round-Up

We provide a day of research support every fall to local students working on National History Day projects.

Johnny Mercer Tribute Concert

The GSU Jazz Band and prominent guest artists bring classic Mercer hits and new arrangements of his work to life in this concert, held every other year in the Rialto Center for the Arts.

Duplication Services

Do you need copies of materials from our collections for reference or publication? You may photograph or download most collection materials for personal use. For a fee, we can also provide photocopies or publication-quality reproductions.

Do you want to use an item from our collections in a book, article, film or other work? License or use fees may apply. Even if you already have a copy, contact us so we can verify the copyright status of the item and review any restrictions. You may also need to obtain separate permission from the copyright holder.

Restrictions

We will do our best to fulfill your request, but we might be unable to copy some items because of fragile condition, limited staff time, copyright issues or donor-imposed restrictions.

Duplication & Permission Requests

To request a copy of something from our collections or permission to publish it, submit a request through our Aeon user portal.

If you’ve found these materials through the Library Catalog, ArchivesSpace, or Digital Collections, there will also be a Request Item button that will lead you to the same Aeon portal to submit the request.

We will process your request as soon as we are able. Special Collections staff may reach out to you if they have any questions about your request.

Time to Fulfillment

Turnaround time for duplication services varies by request type and volume. Average times are as follows:

Photocopy requests: one business day
Scanning requests: three business days
Audio and video duplication requests: 10 business days

Large-volume and complex orders may take longer.

For more about our duplication services, review our full price list.

If you have questions about our duplication services, email us at archives@gsu.edu.

Educator Resources

To support curricula that use our collections, we offer lesson plans that follow national and state standards. We encourage teachers to develop their own lesson plans using primary sources from our collections.

Southern Labor Archives

Music and Popular Culture Collections

These lesson plans were created by music education graduate students with support from The Johnny Mercer Foundation.

Women’s/Gender & Sexuality Collections

University Records Services

We acquire and preserve Georgia State’s permanently valuable records. University Archives services include locating relevant documents to support the university’s business needs and providing verified information about the university’s history. If you have questions about university records, contact the University Archivist, Laurel Bowen, at lbowen@gsu.edu or 404-413-2887.

If you represent an administrative office that wants to transfer records to us, complete the following steps:

Review “Records Collected for University Archives” to decide which records to transfer.
Complete the actions described in “Procedures for Transfer of University Records to Archives.”
Fill out the “Request for Transfer of University Records to Archives” form and a transfer inventory.
Send the transfer form to the University Archives by interoffice mail or email to lbowen@gsu.edu. The University Archivist will review and approve or deny your request.

Learn more about records management services and policies from the GSU Office of the Registrar and the USG Records Management Program.

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