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| Common Questions |
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| Who may use Rare and Special Collections? |
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| Where is Rare and Special Collections located? |
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The Rare and Special Collections Reading Room is located on the 3rd floor of NAL www.nal.usda.gov/about-nal/visiting-library">Visiting the Library for directions to NAL, parking availability and other information to help you plan your visit. |
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| What are your hours? |
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Rare and Special Collections is open by appointment only, Monday to Friday, except Federal holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
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| How do I make an appointment to visit or request reference assistance? |
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You may contact Rare and Special Collections in any of the following ways:
Telephone: 301-504-5876
Fax: 301-504-7593
E-mail: Rare and Special Collections
Mail:
Rare and Special Collections
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Avenue
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 |
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| May I request materials ahead of time? |
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Yes, you may contact us by phone, e-mail, fax or mail to arrange for materials to be pulled in anticipation of your scheduled visit. |
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| May I browse or retrieve materials myself? |
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Our collections are housed in a secured area that is closed to visitors. Staff will bring books and manuscript collections to the Rare and Special Collections Reading Room for researchers to review. |
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| May I check out materials? |
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Rare and Special Collections materials do not circulate. Requests for photocopies and other types of reproductions will be filled in compliance with copyright restrictions and depend on the physical condition of the item. |
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| Am I allowed to make copies myself? |
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Rare and Special Collections staff will make any photocopies dependant on the physical condition of the item. Please contact us for the photocopy fee schedule. |
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| How can I access Forest Service Photographs? |
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In 2004, Rare and Special Collections transferred the "U.S. Forest Service Historical Photograph Collection" to the Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives and Records Administration II, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. Phone:301-837-3530, Fax: 301-837-3621, e-mail: stillpix@nara.gov. |
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| What type of material does Rare and Special Collections collect? |
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| How do I make a donation? |
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Individuals or organizations in the field of agriculture donate their personal papers or archives to Rare and Special Collections. These collections are surveyed, arranged, and ultimately described in finding aids. Rare books, photographs, and other unique items are also donated by individuals or institutions to Rare and Special Collections . Please e-mail the head of Rare and Special Collections for more information. |
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| What USDA records does NAL collect versus the National Archives? |
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The National Archive and Records Administration collects the administrative records of the USDA, including records relating to civilian personnel, fiscal accounting, procurement, communications, printing, other common functions, and certain audiovisual records. On the other hand, Rare and Special Collections of the National Agricultural Library collects materials relating to agriculture in general and non-record material of the USDA. Materials such as the personal papers of USDA scientists and rare horticulture and botanical books fall within the collection policy of Rare and Special Collections. |
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| How do I get permission to publish an image from the collection? |
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| Can Rare and Special Collections make monetary appraisals for my rare materials? |
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Rare and Special Collections staff is prohibited from making monetary appraisals, but you may contact the following organizations to obtain contact information for qualified appraisers:
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| How can I volunteer for Rare and Special Collections? |
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- Student Internships
Rare and Special Collections provides students in the field of library science or agricultural related sciences the opportunity to handle and organize primary source materials, including manuscripts, rare books, photographs, posters, and artifacts. Credit may be earned for archives classes offered at local universities. Time requirements vary according to project specifications, but usually consist of 50 or 140 hours per semester. Projects may be customized to educational interests. A supervisory librarian provides instruction and completes paperwork required by the course instructor. To apply, please email Rare and Special Collections or call 301-504-5876.
Current list of internship opportunities. (PDF|24KB)
- Volunteer Work
Rare and Special Collections staff encourages those who enjoy historical materials to help preserve the wide range of agricultural collections housed in the library. There are a variety of treasures to explore and handle such as nursery and seed trade catalogs, nineteenth century photographs and lantern slides, documentation of scientific experiments and travels, rare books with hand-painted images, printing blocks, and much more! Volunteer work is customized according to an individual’s skills and interests. Tasks may include organizing donated materials, re-housing items into archival folders and boxes, labeling items, database entry, preservation photocopying, scanning images, filing, and writing short descriptions of collections. The volunteer must agree to a regular work schedule. Please contact staff on current availability of volunteer work.
To find out more about Rare and Special Collections, see the homepage.
To ask questions and volunteer, please email Rare and Special Collections or call 301-504-5876.
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