Visitors and External Researchers

External (non-AUC) visitors are welcome for research and tours, but must contact RBSCL personnel to discuss their interests and arrange for the library to clear their entry with campus and library security; visitors must bring government photo identification. External users who plan to use Main collection resources must apply for a user card and pay applicable fees; see the AUC Library external users policy for more information.

Journalists, photographers, or film crews wishing to cover library events, interview library staff, or photograph or film the library or its holdings must contact AUC’s Office of Marketing Communication and Public Affairs staff; consult AUC’s website for contacts.

Tours of the Rare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL) are available for viewing of its collection holdings. These tours are given by RBSCL subject specialists and can be offered in English, Arabic, and French. To inquire, write to rbscl-ref@aucegypt.edu and indicate the nature of the individuals or group seeking the tour, the number of visitors, desired visit date and time and duration of the tour, and any particular interests.

Exhibitions are open to the AUC Community and the public and may be viewed either via tour or without arranging a tour, but for external visitors access to campus and the library must be prearranged. RBSCL also hosts exhibitions at other campus venues and beyond.

General

• Upon entering the Rare Books and Special Collections Library users will be required by a security guard to place any bags into a locker at the entrance to the RBSCL. Laptop cases may not be brought into the library.

• Users should be prepared to show photo identification.

• No food or drinks are permitted in the library.

• Keep mobile phones in silent mode. If you need to make a call, kindly step out of the library.

• Users are expected to remain courteous and respectful of other users and staff at all times and those causing a disturbance or refusing to abide by the rules of the RBSCL will be asked to leave and their privileges may be revoked.

• As you exit the RBSCL, library staff and security guards reserve the right to inspect anything being taken out of the library, for the security of the library’s collections.

Using RBSCL Collection Items

• Users seeking to use archival/special collections materials should contact RBSCL personnel as early in advance as possible during their research process and before a visit or before. This is required for external users requiring campus and library access, and for all users this will ensure sufficient time to prepare materials for consultation or otherwise assist you with your research request.

• Before contacting the library please check what kind of resources may be available by consulting the RBSCL website sections for collections and research tools and digital content (library catalog, digital library, etc.).

• To discuss your research needs (and to make an appointment if you anticipate making an on-site visit), contact the library’s Research Services Desk at rbscl-ref@aucegypt.edu or at 2-02-2615-3676, or a librarian in one of the RBSCL’s curatorial units or a relevant subject specialist, as listed on the RBSCL Connect with Us. 

• You may be requested to hire a research assistant to help you if your research project is too extensive or time-consuming for RBSCL personnel to assist with. RBSCL staff may be able to suggest possible research assistants.

• To request use of a rare book or archival/special collection material, users must complete either a Rare Books Request Slip at the RBSCL Research Services Desk (and leave ID there), or an Archival Materials/Special Collections User Form for Archives staff or the relevant curator.  A library staff member will retrieve the item for the user.

• Books, journals, and archival/special collection materials do not circulate and may not be taken from the RBSCL.

• After use, books and journals from the third floor open stacks should be left on library tables, not reshelved by users.

• Rare books and archival/special collection materials must be used in one of the designated monitored areas approved by library staff.

• Laptop computers and pencils may be used for taking notes (pencils can be borrowed from the Research Services Desk); the use of pens is not permitted.

• Handle items with care: do not write in/on them, fold or tear or lean on pages or damage book spines; turn pages and touch documents and other rare items carefully.  Users will be expected to reimburse the library for the cost of any damage caused to library materials, whether intentionally, recklessly or negligently.

• Library staff members may require and can provide cotton gloves for handling certain items like rare books, photographs not encased in sleeves, etc..

• Library staff will provide book cradles for items that require special support.

• Reproductions (digital scans, photographs or photocopies) may be made from rare books and special collections items with the approval of RBSCL staff, if in the judgment of the staff doing so will not harm the item(s).  

• Users intending to publish in print or online, or reproduce for an audio-visual production, must complete an "Application for Permission to Publish or Broadcast Rare Books and Special Collections Library Materials” form to receive RBSCL approval, as well as seek copyright permission if the library does not hold the copyright.

• Take note of information like collection names, box numbers and folder titles while you are doing your research to facilitate locating needed items at some later time, and for citing the materials you used.

Restrictions on Access to Special Collections Materials

Archives and other special collections are generally open for use but may be subject to restrictions: unprocessed collections or fragile material may not be available for use, at the discretion of RBSCL personnel, and donor restrictions may apply.

The following restrictions apply to AUC University Archives records and publications:

• Records of AUC offices, departments, and other units are closed to researchers for 15 years from the date they were created.

• Records of AUC’s Board of Trustees, such as meeting minutes, are closed for 25 years from the date of creation.

• Personnel Records (such as a personnel file) are closed for research for 50 years after the employee’s departure from AUC.

• Student Records are primarily in custody of AUC’s Office of the Registrar, but for other student records University Archives and AUC Records Management staff act in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974/1976 (FERPA), limiting access to the education records of living students or living former students to that student (upon written request), with restrictions lifted 75 years after their departure from the university.

• AUC publications, photographs, oral histories, websites, and reference materials are all open for use.

Reproductions of Rare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL) materials may be provided to users if, in the judgment of library personnel, doing so will not harm the item(s) or contravene donor agreements. Digitization (digital scanning and photocopying, photography, and media digitization) as well as retrieval of already-digitized material are available.

Information on digitization and photocopy services, including costs, may be found at the Digitization Center webpage.

For items from the open stacks or course reserves, see staff at the Research Help Desk to complete the Reprographic Service Request Form, who must approve the request (Library personnel reserve the right to deny the request if the material is too fragile or subject to damage).  You will be then directed to the Library’s Digitization Center facilities on the third floor for making digital scans or photocopies. 

For rare books or other collection materials retrieved by Research Help Desk personnel, see the desk staff to complete the Reprographic Service Request Form. Library personnel must approve the request, and reserve the right to deny the request if the material is too fragile or subject to damage.  The staff will transfer the material to the Library’s Digitization Center facilities for making digital scans.

For archival or special collection material, the RBSCL specialist curator or Archives personnel assisting you  (either on an in-person visit to the library or remotely) will facilitate reproductions. Library personnel must approve the request, reserve the right to deny the request, and will coordinate with the Library’s Digitization Center on digitization or retrieval of digital files. 

To use personal cameras, mobile phone cameras, or personal scanners, consult with the research help desk staff or the unit staff or subject specialist you are working with to seek approval. Library personnel reserve the right to deny the request. Use of flash photography is not permitted.

Users intending to publish RBSCL items in print or online or include them in an audio-visual production must complete an Application for Permission to Publish or Broadcast Rare Books and Special Collections Library Materials form, as well as seek copyright permission if the library does not hold the copyright.  Permission must be requested for reproduced physical items as well as items in the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library or other RBSCL online sources. 

When a publication or other production based on RBSCL materials is completed and available, users are requested to notify RBSCL personnel and donate a copy of the work to the library.

Users basing research on, or publishing images of materials from the Rare Books and Special Collections Library (rare books, archives, photographs, and other holdings, including items made available on online RBSCL platforms), must credit RBSCL and cite the source of the material.  The specific format may vary depending on the context of the work (an academic book or article, magazine article or other form of journalism, audio-visual production, website, exhibition, etc.) or citation style required (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.).   

For photographs or images or items reproduced from RBSCL collections in print, online, or for display (in exhibitions, etc.), the reproduced image should be accompanied by a credit identifying the item, providing the creator’s name (if known) and the collection, and acknowledging RBSCL.  If AUC holds the copyright for the item (RBSCL personnel can provide this information), that should be indicated. Image credits for film, video, or television may be shown at the end of the production or program. 

Examples:

• Van-Leo, Taha Hussein portrait, copyright Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo, Egypt. 

• New Gourna Mosque Elevation, Hassan Fathy Collection, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo, Egypt.

An abbreviated image credit format may be used if the context dictates (Example: Van-Leo, AUC RBSCL), but the full name of the library and full identification of the item reproduced should be included somewhere in the published work or production. A general acknowledgment like “Images courtesy of AUC University Archives’ may be used as appropriate, such as when multiple images from a collection are published.

Research based on archival and special collection materials should credit the RBSCL and the appropriate library unit, and indicate the collection used. The specific citation format will vary depending on the nature of the user’s end-product (such as an academic journal article in contrast to a magazine article, or a book vs. a website or exhibition), placement in the researcher’s work (notes, bibliography, in-text citations, etc.), or the citation style required (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.).  

Examples:

• Hassan Fathy Papers and Photograph Collection, Regional Architecture Collections, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo, Egypt.

• Records of President Charles R. Watson, University Archives, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Citations for specific items in archives or special collections should describe the item and indicate its author/creator, date, the collection and location within the collection, and the repository information. 

Examples:

• Letter from Charles Watson to John D. Rockefeller, May 1, 1928, Fundraising Prospects File. In Records of President Charles R. Watson, External Individuals and Organizations Series, Box 14, University Archives, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo, Egypt.

• Oral History Interview with Thomas A. Bartlett, February 14, 1973. In American University in Cairo Oral Histories Collection, University Archives, The American University in Cairo, Egypt.

For RBSCL materials accessed online via the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library or another RBSCL platform, indicate that source and if appropriate the website url. 

Example:

• The AUCian Yearbook, 1968, University Archives, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, The American University in Cairo, Egypt. Accessed online via the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library.

Abbreviations may be used when appropriate, as when an item or collection is cited multiple times, provided an initial full citation and explanation of the abbreviation is given. 

Example: 

• Watson Records, AUC UA (abbreviation for Records of President Charles R. Watson, University Archives, The American University in Cairo)