No. Special Collections materials must be used in our Reading Room during regular office hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm).
We acquire materials both through purchase and donation. Our purchases are made with funds from an endowment or financial gifts. We do not purchase acquisitions with funds from the regular Library budget.
Contact us at speccoll@utulsa.edu with your name and request. We sell scans of our materials for different prices depending on what resolution will suit your needs and whether you plan to publish or license the images. Department policy only allows us to scan 200 pages from a given collection for a patron in a 6-month period. We do not make copies of photocopies unless we are certain that the photocopy is the only existing copy of a destroyed original.
Requests are processed in the order in which they are received. You can anticipate up to 4-6 weeks for delivery of photocopies of manuscript materials, particularly for larger orders. Delivery times for digital images vary; however, images will be shared with you privately through our file hosting system when scans are completed and your payment has been received. Please be aware we will impose an additional fee for rushed services.
Contact us at speccoll@utulsa.edu with your name and request. Special Collections holds copyright over a select portion of our collections. It will be your responsibility to locate the copyright holder of materials and obtain permission from them to publish those materials.
All collection materials housed in this department by are owned by The University of Tulsa McFarlin Library. Although we provide photocopies, digital images, and audio recordings as a service to the university community, scholars, and private researchers, we are in no way obliged to do so. We also reserve the right to disallow the copying and/or publication of our collection materials regardless of who owns the copyright. However, we generally try to accommodate researchers as much as possible. It is important to understand that the fees for duplication of our unpublished materials are actually usage fees. In the case of digitally reproduced images, we reserve the right to request the destruction of all copies and/or prints after research has been completed. For more information, please consult our Publication of Materials from the Policies and Procedures page. Please refer to our Fee Schedule for a detailed list of charges for services we provide.
We regret that, at present, The University does not have on-campus housing for visiting scholars. However, a number of national chain hotels and motels are within driving distance, some of which may have a discount for TU visitors. Visit the Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau or the Tulsa Travel Guide or other online sources for accommodations and restaurants in the Tulsa area.
Unfortunately, we do not have resources for fellowships at this time.
More information about visitor and guest parking on campus is located at the Campus Services page.
While all visitors are welcome to use our collections, we do require a photo ID before we can retrieve items for use. Please refer to our Policies and Regulations for important details.
Yes. You may bring your own laptop. The University does offer guest wireless access. You can also use our research computers to search the book catalog or ArchivesSpace. and get Internet access. If you have other computer access needs, please contact us well in advance to see if we can accommodate you.
Some portions of specific collections restricted from use by anyone except those who have acquired specific permission in writing from the creator of that collections. A good example would be the V.S. Naipaul archive, in which some personal correspondence and diaries are restricted from use. These types of restrictions are noted on the finding aids found in our Archival Catalog. Unprocessed collections are also restricted from use. This is necessary in order to preserve the original order imposed by its creator until the materials can be inventoried.
Our Reading Room is open from Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
We are open to University of Tulsa students, faculty, staff, and the general public by appointment. You can contact us at speccoll@utulsa.edu to book an appointment. Some of our collections are housed at a warehouse located off-campus; to ensure that we're able to pull materials for you, please book your appointment at least one business day in advance.
No flash photography is allowed, and no interchangeable lens cameras. If you do photograph items, we will ask you use the transparent overlay sheet with the University of Tulsa logo on top of the materials.
We are located on the 5th floor of McFarlin Library. Use the elevator facing the coffee shop on the Plaza Level to go upstairs—the elevator in the solarium only goes to the 3rd floor. We are the first door on the right as you exit. Ring the doorbell and someone will let you in. See the map on the Visitor Information Page.
How do I contact Special Collections?
Special Collections Reference Desk: (918) 631-2496
