Bizzell 5th Floor Special Research Collections Copy Policy & Requests

The following applies to all materials in the Bizzell 5th Floor Special Research Collections:

• Copies are provided only for research use by the person requesting them. Copies provided are not to be used by other researchers or placed in any other library, museum, or repository.
• We reserve the right to limit or deny copy requests of rare or fragile materials and to limit copy activity that endangers the physical preservation of materials. All copy requests are subject to approval by collections' staff.
• No laws restrict copying of public domain materials. However, we reserve the right to limit or deny copying in order to protect materials that might be physically harmed as a result of such copying.
• Copies of non-fragile and contemporary materials are provided in the form of low-resolution PDF scans sent by e-mail, usually within 48 hours of requests. OU users can request copies of materials through SoonerXpress. See below for copyright restrictions relating non-public domain materials.
• Interlibrary loan requests are not permitted for older, rare, and fragile materials; vault materials; or manuscripts, photographs, maps, posters, and sound recordings.
• The number of copies to be made from any manuscript or archival collection is limited to 500 pages.
• Use of personal copying and recording equipment: Researchers may request permission to photograph books and manuscripts using their own handheld devices. The photograph permission request form is available online and at the research desk. Photograph collections may not be photographed. All camera/device flashes are prohibited, and electronic equipment must not directly contact collection materials. Flatbed scanners are not allowed. All photography is subject to staff approval and supervision.

Request Copies from Non-Fragile 20th-Century Books and Recent Secondary Sources

Books in good condition may be scanned to PDF by the Collections' staff, subject to fair use copyright guidelines and the Curator's discretion. Scans are made according to the guidelines below:

• Complete a Scan Request Form or make a copy request through the SoonerXpress link in the catalog record.
• Scanning to PDF is performed by collections staff and emailed to the requestor at no charge.
• Materials expected for use by multiple students will scanned and provided to faculty members.
• Requests must comply with the library's copyright and fair use policies: no more than 2 chapters or articles, 50 pages, or 20% of any one book or journal volume, whichever comes first.
• Approved requests may require more than 48 hours to fulfill, excluding weekends.
• Requests will not be approved if pages are brittle, fragile, or torn, if the binding is tight, if the book or plates are too large, if the spine of the book might be damaged, or if the work is readily available in digital format (We will let you know if the item is available elsewhere in the library or available through online access).

Taking Pictures with Your Camera

Use of personal digital cameras or cell phones/tablets to take pictures in the collections is generally permitted with prior authorization. See more about copy policies and restrictions in the copyright section below, especially for materials not in the public domain. Ask collections staff before taking any photographs of rare, fragile, or pre-20th-century materials. For these materials, please fill out a Photography Request Form.

Request Digitization of Rare & Fragile Materials

You may request that selected pages (e.g., title pages, portraits, maps, illustrations, plates, etc.) from rare and fragile materials be considered for the University Libraries' digitization queue. The digitization protocol produces high-quality images that are made available online for anyone to access at no charge. Digitization cannot be completed on short notice. Use the Digital Collections Contact Form to submit digitization requests.