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 level 2 of the University Library.  

Opening hours: 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. All appointments must be made in advance by contacting us at archives@stir.ac.uk

Our archives team continue to answer enquiries, provide access to material via our digitisation-on-demand service and support research and teaching. New opportunities to work with our collections have been created with our online and in-person volunteering projects.

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 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
• Bags and coats must be placed in the area provided. 

All appointments must be made in advance of your visit by emailing us at archives@stir.ac.uk.

Details of our current service arrangements are available at: https://collections.stir.ac.uk/using-archives-special-collections/

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

The use of digital cameras by researchers is permitted. There is no charge for personal copying however we encourage users to make a contribution to our current Scottish Political Archive crowdfunding project - details at:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/scottishparliamentgraphichistory

Archives staff can also provide copies of material on request. Our normal copying charges have been suspended for the period of reduced service caused by COVID restrictions. Large copying orders will result in a charge being levied - please contact us at archives@stir.ac.uk for further details.

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. Please contact us at archives@stir.ac.uk for further details.