SCARC holdings may contain confidential or private information including but not limited to: social security numbers, birth years, health records, financial data, and occupational and academic performance assessments. Researchers using SCARC materials agree to: (1) notify SCARC staff upon discovery of confidential or private content and (2) abide by ethical and legal restrictions on the use, reproduction, and distribution of such content.

Due to administrative and security requirements, some data – including but not limited to research requests, circulation data, registration forms, and surveillance recordings of the reading room – may be retained and accessed at the discretion of the SCARC staff. SCARC does not sell or otherwise distribute personally identifiable patron data except where required by law.

Processed collections held by the Oregon State University Library and Press (OSULP) Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) are generally available to the public, but some materials may have restrictions imposed on them for a variety of reasons. Therefore, in some cases, access to collections will be limited as detailed below.  Any restrictions are noted in collection finding aids in the “Statement on Access” section. 

SCARC collections may be restricted: 

• due to the presence of confidential/personal, and medical information, 
• due to provisions set by the donor, 
• due to the presence of sensitive cultural resource information,
• due to the physical condition of the items, a condition which is susceptible to damage, and/or, 
• due to the unique nature of various items in the collection and at the discretion of the SCARC Department Head.

All requests for access to restricted material should be directed to scarc@oregonstate.edu.

SCARC collections include materials in three broad categories:

• Items in the public domain – These may be used freely and without restrictions.
• Items for which the copyright is owned by Oregon State University – Please contact SCARC for permission to use.
• Items for which the copyright holder is an entity other than Oregon State University – It is the responsibility of the user to determine copyright status and seek permission from the rights owner(s) where appropriate.

If an individual or entity intends to use copyrighted material in excess of fair use as determined by U.S. copyright law (title 17, United States Code), it is incumbent upon the user(s) to seek permission from the copyright holder(s) prior to use. Failure to do so may constitute copyright infringement.

SCARC does not assess fees for use of any materials in its holdings or require users to receive permission from SCARC to publish, display or distribute materials whose copyright is held by an entity other than Oregon State University. However, SCARC asks that users seeking to publish, display, or distribute any item from the SCARC holdings notify SCARC using the Notification of Use form. This enables SCARC to collect data necessary for enhancing user access.

SCARC also asks that users accurately attribute the item in a caption, citation, or other appropriate format to the Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center. The preferred attribution is “From the [Collection Name], OSU Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center.” Guidelines for attribution can also be found on the Notification of Use form.

SCARC can be contacted by email at scarc@oregonstate.edu or by phone at (541) 737-2075.

The Special Collections and Archives Research Center provides free access scanning service for off-site researchers. This service is limited to requests no larger than fifty pages of textual material. Access scans are defined by SCARC as 150-dpi images scanned to PDF.

Scanning requests beyond fifty pages are subject to the fee schedule itemized below. So too are scanning orders that do not fit within the parameters defined here as access scanning. Very large scanning orders may be referred to third-party vendors, in consultation with the patron.

Duplication of Film/Video/Sound

Detailed estimates for reproduction of moving images (videotapes or motion picture films) are provided on a case-by-case basis. The approximate costs for these services are:

Payment

SCARC is able to process payments made via check. Please contact us for further details.

SCARC provides researchers with digital access copies of materials under the scope of fair use. Any individual or organization conducting or requesting digitization of copyrighted materials is responsible for determining whether the subsequent use of this reproduction falls within the parameters of fair use.

SCARC requires each item or group of items to be reviewed before reproductions can be made, and maintains the right to limit or refuse reproduction of material if the act of duplication:

• Is in violation of restrictions placed by the item’s donor
• May result in physical damage to the item
• Cannot be completed due to the item’s physical size or format

Upon approval, researchers may take images using SCARC’s BookEye scanner, a self-service machine in the SCARC Reading Room available to use for most collection items. SCARC staff will review materials prior to your use and advise you on the use of the Bookeye. A personal digital camera, or cell phone may also be used.  The use of personal, portable scanners is prohibited.

Researchers unable to conduct research on site may request that access scans be created by SCARC staff. This service is limited to paper records and is dependent on staff availability. We offer 50 scans free of charge; further scans are $.25 each. Turnaround time may exceed two weeks.

SCARC may be able to provide high resolution scans or reproductions of non-paper formats including slides, glass plate negatives, and legacy audio/visual formats (e.g. U-matic, Betamax, reel-to-reel, and LPs). Individuals or organizations requesting reproductions are subject to any fees assessed by third party vendors, and will be notified of the estimated cost prior to duplication. At present, SCARC does not have the capacity to provide scans of large format materials (e.g. oversize maps, aerial photographs, etc.).

Due to the rare and fragile nature of many of these materials, audiovisual materials in SCARC’s holdings are accessible only as digital copies. Our preservation policies do not allow us to view a reel or tape before digitizing it.

Researchers interested in accessing audio-visual materials from SCARC’s collections must contact SCARC by email at scarc@oregonstate.edu. The digitization process could take at least one month, depending on the capacity of our Digital Production Unit, scale of the request, and existing digitization queue. Some formats, or materials with preservation issues, may take longer than one month, may incur additional fees, or may be too fragile to digitize at all. Further, in some cases, the department may need to contract with a third-party vendor for digitization services, with the associated costs assumed by the requester.

Please reach out to us as soon as possible to coordinate access to materials of interest to you.