Visiting Archives

Archival research benefits from planning ahead.

At UC Santa Cruz, students are welcome to drop by in person anytime Special Collections & Archives is open (our reference desk and reading room are just through the set of glass doors on McHenry Library’s third floor). We try to make it as easy as possible to get started.

But as an emerging researcher, a good habit to start is reaching out to archival repositories in advance, because there is plenty of variation from place to place when it comes to how to access archives and what is (or is NOT) allowed at different institutions. It can even seem unwelcoming at some places. But there’s no need to be intimidated. Just learn about the rules or policies at the repository you want to visit and reach out in advance (especially when the archive you want to visit is not part of your own campus community), and you’ll be on your way. Doing so can save time - and travel money - as well as avoid disappointment. Planning also lets you focus on your research and taking really good notes (more on that below!).

As a first step, read the repository’s website and learn as much as you can about how that specific place works before contacting them. Chances are they will have information there on hours, how to request materials, how to make appointments (and if they are required), location directions, and information on policies related to security, use of cameras, and what you can and cannot bring with you.

The next step is to contact the repository in advance of your visit. Include these details in your message to them:

A brief description of your research project
Dates you plan to visit
Collections (and box numbers too, if applicable) you want to consult
Any questions that aren't already answered on their website

To learn many more tips, in detail, about what to do before, during, and after a visit to an archival repository, read this guide to archival research travels. It includes ideas contributed by a variety of graduate students both here at UC Santa Cruz and beyond.

The UC Santa Cruz Feminist Studies Department, founded in 1974, is one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind in the United States. The department's records document its founding, curricular development, and fostering of interdisciplinary, transnational, and community-oriented scholarship. (UCSC Feminist Studies Department Records, UA.067)

Imagine that you plan a research visit to UC Santa Cruz’s Special Collections & Archives (or choose another repository that has collections that interest you). Visit its website to learn what you can in advance. What questions does the site answer? What questions are not answered clearly?

Take the time to take good notes.

While working with archival collections, remember to take the time to create useful notes for your later reference. Try to create a functional and consistent approach to your note taking. You may not be able to return to a particular archival repository very easily, or you may need to direct another scholar to a source someday.

Some things to remember are:

Differentiate in your notes between direct quotes from the records and your own words.
Record what the records are about, what you learned, and what questions arise.
Try to summarize what you observe in your own words.
Take time to think about and write down what you notice about what’s missing in the record.
You may want to take photographs for later reference.
And, importantly, record where you find the materials you look at (institution name, collection name and number, and box/folder numbers whenever available), so you can find your way back to them or cite them in the future.

Ken Norris was a naturalist, conservationist, and professor known for his pioneering studies of dolphin behavior. (Learn more about Norris in Reading Nature, Observing Science.) The picture above shows Norris in 1971, at work on field notes using a portable typewriter on Laysan Island in Hawaii. (Ken Norris papers, UA.066)

Share your research in progress.

Don’t forget to talk with your fellow researchers, mentors, and friends about your work. These people may provide important perspectives that lead you to new insights or questions about what you are observing and learning through archival research.

And of course, don’t hesitate to reach out to librarians and archivists you come to know too. Here at UC Santa Cruz, all of us in Special Collections & Archives can help. Reach out to us anytime in your process. It might feel like it’s just you and a bunch of grey archival boxes, but there’s also real community to be found in archival research.

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