Archives and Special Collections: About

We hold the historical collections of the university which cover a wide range of subjects including film, literature, politics, medicine and sport. This material can be consulted in the archives reading room which is located on the ground floor (level 2) of the university library. It is open from 9.30 am – 1.00 pm and 2.00 – 4.45 pm, Monday – Friday. Material can be ordered in advance of your visit by emailing archives@stir.ac.uk

The reading room is a space reserved for researchers wishing to consult our archives & special collections. As these collections comprise valuable, unique, fragile and irreplaceable items special rules and regulations are in place to ensure the preservation and security of our collections. If you plan to use the reading room please note that:

• No bags or coats are permitted in the reading room
• Lockers are provided for users
• No food or drink may be consumed in the reading room
• No material may be removed from the reading room
• No pens may be used in the reading room
• Notes can be taken with a pencil / laptop

If you are planning to use the archives reading room please contact us in advance to arrange a suitable time and date for your visit. Readers can order material in advance of their visit by emailing archives@stir.ac.uk.

External visitors will be asked to sign in on arrival at the univeristy library and will be issued with a visitors card.

If you are visiting the university for the first time details of how to get to the campus can be found here.

Access

There is no charge for short visits, but if supervised access is required over an extended period, we may at our discretion require a contribution to our costs, up to the full employment cost.

Reproduction for private academic use and non-commercial publications

• Photocopies:30p per A4 photocopy; 50p per A3 copy, + VAT if applicable.
• Pdf scans of documents:£1 per image + VAT if applicable.
• Digital copy of photograph or image:£5 per image + VAT if applicable.
• Use of your own digital camera: £10 per day or part day.
• Payments for copying orders can be made via the University's online shop.

Reproduction for commercial use

In all cases, an acknowledgement of the source and a copy of the publication for our archives is a minimum requirement.

• Photographs or digital images:£50 + VAT for the first image, £30 for each subsequent image. No additional charge for making the copy. Includes copyright fees where the University holds the copyright in the image.
• Copyright fees for publishing text are negotiated on a case-by-case basis. 

The archives reading room will be closed from Monday 17 to Friday 28 June to facilitate re-location of the service during the Campus Central building works.

Further information can be found on our archives blog. 

Documents relating to use of the archives reading room and Archives and Special Collections policies.