Policies and Guidelines for Using Archival
Materials
at the Nebraska Library Commission
Access to Collections
Materials in the Nebraska Library Commission archives are
accessible for research by NLC staff and others but may not be borrowed.
Access to some material may not be possible if state or federal legal or
confidentiality requirements pre-empt open access. Researchers
wishing to use the archives should contact the Reference Desk for
assistance. A
librarian will speak with you about your research interests and guide you to circulating
photocopies or scanned reproductions of some items if
available. If these are not available or do not meet your needs, a
librarian will take you to the archive area.
Handling of Material
Because of the irreplaceable and often fragile nature of
many of the archival materials, both staff and patrons are obligated to
preserving them for future use. All materials should be handled with care. Items should not be folded, leaned on, written on, traced
from, or handled in a manner likely to damage them. Extreme care should be used
when working with photographs and negatives, and with oversized items such as
scrapbooks. Material should be left in existing order within each folder, and
folders in existing order within each box. Cotton gloves are available for
handling delicate materials.
Duplication Services
Requests for duplication should be made at the Library Commission Reference
Desk. Depending on the nature of the material, photocopying
or scanning may be possible. Duplication will be done by the Library Commission Documents Team staff.
In some cases researchers will be allowed to do their own photocopying in the
reference area. Please be selective and limit quantity based on
actual need. We provide a limited number of complimentary copies.
Additional
charges will be determined by the staff. Copies or digital images may not be
available on the day requested, and may not be provided if material is too fragile for
handling. The Government Information Services Director will determine if
duplication is possible.
Copyright and Use Permission
The Nebraska Library Commission has created digital reproductions of
some materials in its archives and state documents collections. Digitized
state documents can be located using the search on the
Nebraska State
Government Publications Online website.
State publications digitized by the Library Commission are either not
protected by copyright or permission has been granted to duplicate them on
a form on file at the Library Commission containing the following
statement: "Yes, I grant nonexclusive permission to the Publications
Clearinghouse to reproduce the publications of this agency in microfiche
and/or electronic format and distribute them to the public and to state
depository libraries."
The materials housed
in the Archives may be protected under Title 17 of the United States Copyright Law.
The Library Commission may not own the copyright or intellectual rights.
Permission to use is given by Nebraska Library Commission as owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder for uses by
others that go beyond simple linking from a web site to a digitized publication
posted on the Library Commission 's web site. The user is responsible for
verifying copyright and gaining permission for use. Persons
wishing to use digital reproductions created by the Nebraska Library Commission should
- Contact the state agency or copyright holder and
obtain permission for uses beyond simple linking to the digitized version.
- Cite the publication properly. The purpose of citation is twofold: for
proper credit, and to allow others to find and verify the information being
cited. A citation includes, if applicable:
- title, author, date, and (where applicable) state agency responsible for the original
document
- creator (Nebraska Library Commission or other agency) and URL of the
digital reproduction
Researchers may use visual images from the Archives
collection for private, educational and historical purposes, in publications, to
display, or for other specific uses. Persons should provide appropriate
credit for all material used in their research, publication, presentation,
exhibition, or any other display in any media format, for example:
"Photograph Courtesy of Nebraska Library Commission "
"Used with Permission of Nebraska Library Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska "