Our Services

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

Instructional Visits

We invite you to bring your class to Special Collections and Archives. We can introduce your students or members of your organization to archival research and to our unique collections.

Fill out our instruction request form to arrange a visit. Please note we require two weeks’ notice for instruction sessions and tours.

Research Visits and Consultations

You’re welcome to visit our reading room during open hours to view our collections. An archivist or other staff member will be available to answer questions.

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

If you have questions about finding, using, or citing archival material, please 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 GSU 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.
National History Research Round-Up
Every fall, we provide a day of research support to local students working on National History Day projects.
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.
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.

Follow us on social media or check out the GSU Library events calendar to get the latest on upcoming events.

Publication Requests

Do you want to use an item from our collections in a book, article, film, or other work? Please email us at archives@gsu.edu. License or use fees may apply.

Even if you already have a copy, please 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.

Duplication Services

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

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 restrictions.

Copy/Scan Requests

To request copies of something from our collection:

  1. Email archives@gsu.edu to obtain a copy of our duplication request form.
  2. Complete the form and submit it to archives@gsu.edu.
  3. Confirm the details of your request with our staff.
  4. Receive and review the order confirmation and total price.
  5. Receive an invoice from us.
  6. Follow our instructions to submit your payment online.

Time to Fulfillment

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

Photocopy requests:
1 business day
Scanning requests:
3 business days
Audio and video duplication requests:
10 business days

Large-volume and complex orders may take longer.

More Information

For more about our duplication services, please review our full policy and 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 Radio Broadcasting 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 GSU’s permanently valuable records. University Archives services include locating relevant documents to support the university’s current business needs and providing verified information about the university’s history. If you have questions about GSU 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, please complete the following steps:

  1. Review the Records to Transfer to decide which records to transfer.
  2. See Documentation for more information.
  3. Complete the actions described in the Transfer of Records to the University Archives–Procedures.
  4. Fill out the Request for Transfer form.
  5. 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.

You can also learn more about records management services and policies from the GSU Office of the Registrar and the USG Records Management Program.