Primary Source Literacy at USC Libraries & Beyond

How do I request Archival Materials for Consultation in the Special Collections Reading Room?

The following video will guide you through the process of searching the USC Libraries catalog for archival materials located in Special Collections and requesting them for consultation in the Special Collections reading room. This video is particularly helpful if your professor asked you to research an archival item held in Special Collections. 


If you encounter any problems requesting archival materials from Special Collections, do not hesitate to contact us at specol@usc.edu - we will be happy to help you.

In addition to Special Collections, USC Libraries has several other repositories which hold primary source materials, such as our ONE Archives, our Cinematic Arts Library, and our Arts and Architecture Library. Please see the following tutorial for how you will search & request archival materials from any primary source repository at USC Libraries.


Activity:
Follow the instructions in the tutorial(s) above and search USC's archival holdings on a topic of your choice.
First, retrieve results without limiting to a repository like Special Collections, then limit to either Special Collections, ONE Archives, or Cinematic Arts only.
- What is the difference in the number of results you receive?
- Check if you can find the preferred citation information for your item.
- Click the request button to get to the request form. (Don't click submit UNLESS you really want to come and consult the item - which obviously, you are more than welcome to do!).

Header Image: Detail from one of the 1910 Alice in Wonderland Playing Cards, USC Libraries, Special Collections.

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