Procedures
[Staff photo]
Gerald R. Ford with the Ford Library staff.

  

Answers to Questions
About Research Procedures


Table of Contents

  1. Who may use the library's research collections?
  2. When is the library open?
  3. How do I plan for research at the library?
  4. How does copyright law affect research?
  5. How shall I cite material found at the library?

To contact the Ford Library staff, send email to library@fordlib.nara.gov.
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Who may use the library's research collections?

Anyone is welcome to use the library's research collections. Teachers, journalists, school children, attorneys, current government officials, and university faculty are typical users by mail and telephone. On-site users are less diverse. Most are scholars researching publications or undergraduates doing course papers and special projects. On-site researchers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult researcher.


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When is the library open?

The research room is open all year, Monday through Friday except federal holidays, from 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday morning and occasional other hours are sometimes available by advance appointment.


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How do I plan for research at the library?

Write or call the library to ask if we have material on your topic. We will consult our holdings and give you an assessment of the quantity and quality. This guide contains basic information about our collections. More detailed descriptions are available in the research room and on loan by mail. We can send information about local accommodations and travel directions.

Once you arrive at the library, an archivist will meet with you to explain our regulations and procedures. (See also "Regulations for the Public Use of Records in the National Archives and Records Administration" [36 CFR 1254]). The archivist also will offer advice about which collections are most likely to contain useful material on your topic. You will be asked to furnish personal identification and to complete a simple application for research.


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How does copyright law affect research?

The United States copyright law (Public Law 94-553, effective January 1, 1978) extends statutory rights of authorship to unpublished works, which were previously protected by literary property rights under common law. Such works do not have to be registered with the Copyright Office to receive protection under the law.

In general the law provides copyright protection for a term of the life of the author plus 50 years. Unpublished and uncopyrighted works created before January 1, 1978, are covered as of that date by this same provision and are protected at the minimum until December 31, 2002. Works already in the public domain and works prepared by U.S. government employees as part of their official duties are not protected by copyright.

Researchers are advised that copyright gives to the author and his or her heirs the sole right of publication for the term of the copyright, regardless of the ownership of the physical embodiment of the work. Persons wishing to publish any unpublished writings included in the papers of the library should obtain permission from the holder of the copyright. Permission to reproduce copyrighted materials in the library's still photograph, motion picture, cartoon, and oral history collections must also be obtained from the copyright holder.

If names of the copyright holder are known to the library, they will be furnished upon request. Some individuals who have given their papers to the library have dedicated their property rights to the government or have transmitted their copyrights to it.

The copyright law provides for "fair use" of copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder. Fair use encompasses scholarship and research, although the extent of such use is bounded by limitations on quotation and reproduction.

Much of the audiovisual materials, including all White House-produced photographs, motion picture films, and audiotapes, are in the public domain. Other material, such as donated items and White House Communications Agency news videotapes, are subject to copyright law. The Ford Library makes copyrighted material and reproductions available solely for private study, scholarship, or research. Audiovisual researchers must obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish or display materials, or deposit them in other institutions.


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How shall I cite material found at the library?

Courtesy, Gerald R. Ford Library should appear in close proximity to the cited photograph.


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