{"id":2812,"date":"2017-01-09T11:42:43","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T11:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/specialcollections\/?p=2812"},"modified":"2017-01-09T16:40:06","modified_gmt":"2017-01-09T16:40:06","slug":"dr575-victorian-and-edwardian-theatre-faqs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/specialcollections\/2017\/01\/09\/dr575-victorian-and-edwardian-theatre-faqs\/","title":{"rendered":"DR575: Victorian and Edwardian Theatre FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

Publicity postcard for Fred Melville’s melodrama ‘The Bad Girl of the Family’, c.1909<\/p><\/div>\n

We’re really looking forward to welcoming students on the DR575: Victorian and Edwardian Theatre module to Special Collections & Archives this term! It’s always tremendous fun for both our team and everyone studying.<\/p>\n

To help everyone settle in, we’ve collated a list of the most commonly asked questions we get about using Special Collections & Archives during the module. This list is by no means exhaustive, and we’ll try and update it throughout the term. However, if you have a question please do have a look through this list to see if the information you need is here<\/strong>.\u00a0 As ever, we encourage you to get in touch<\/a> with any queries you might have. See you in our Reading Room!<\/a><\/p>\n

Accessing Special Collections & Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How do I find material to use from Special Collections & Archives?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow do I book an appointment to view material? <\/strong><\/a>
\nCan I book in to the Reading Room with a group of people?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow can I access the playbills you hold? <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Contacting Special Collections & Archives<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

When is the Reading Room open?<\/strong><\/a>
\nI’ve emailed you with a query – when can I expect a reply?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Handling material in Special Collections & Archives<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do I need to wear white gloves?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow do I handle this item?<\/strong><\/a>
\nWhat can I bring into the Reading Room?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Accessing Special Collections & Archives elsewhere<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How do I find other archives for my research?<\/strong><\/a>
\n Where can I find [X] archive?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow do I contact [X] archive?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Exhibition queries<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I need a scan of this item! What do I do?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow long will it take you to scan items for me?<\/strong><\/a>
\nCan I use this image for my exhibition?<\/strong><\/a>
\nWhat should I get my exhibition material printed on to?<\/strong><\/a>
\nWhere can I get material printed?<\/strong><\/a>
\nWhen do I need to get items sent to the printers by?<\/strong><\/a>
\nHow much does [X] cost? Can I reclaim this money? How?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Accessing Special Collections & Archives material<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How do I find material to use from Special Collections & Archives?<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe majority of Special Collections material can be found on LibrarySearch. There are two main ways of finding material:<\/p>\n

You can either select ‘Special Collections’ (or ‘British Cartoon Archive’) from the drop-down box on the right-hand side of the search bar, then enter your terms…<\/p>\n

\"findingsca1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

…Or you can enter your search terms as usual, then scroll down and select ‘Collections’ from the right-hand side of the screen. You can then select ‘Special Collections’ from the list:<\/p>\n

\"findingsca2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some Special Collections & Archives material is currently only catalogued on our own website<\/a>, so it’s worth checking both. Our catalogue can be accessed on the first page:<\/p>\n

\"findingsca3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Enter your search terms, and then you can narrow down the results by collection\/type of material\/subject…<\/p>\n

\"findingsca4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once you’ve found an item you’d like to see in our reading room, note down as much information as possible (especially the identifier) and drop us an email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you’re interested in searching the British Cartoon Archive, you can search for books using LibrarySearch as above…or you can use the British Cartoon Archive catalogue<\/a> to search for cartoon artwork:<\/p>\n

\"findingsca6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You can search using the box on top right-hand side of the screen, or click Advanced Search (cartoons) to locate more specific material. By using Advanced Search, you can narrow down results by several terms (such as artist and date). Once you’ve found something you’re interested in viewing, click the image thumbnail to view a bigger version of the image or click the artist’s name to find out more information about the artwork.<\/p>\n

\"findingsca7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to view higher resolution images, or see any original artwork, please do get in touch. It’s worth noting that artwork from the British Cartoon Archive is currently stored offsite due to the Library Refurbishment so we need at least two weeks’ notice to get any material for you. Additionally, some material from the British Cartoon Archive is very fragile, so if we have a digital copy we’ll likely ask you to use that for your research instead.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

How do I book an appointment to view material? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The main way of booking an appointment to view material is as follows:
\nWhen you find Special Collections & Archives material through LibrarySearch, you’ll see an option to request the item from Special Collections:<\/p>\n

\"requestsca1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once you click on the link, a pop-up window will emerge. Fill in the form using the details of the item on LibrarySearch, then scroll down to fill in the date you’d like to see the item (remembering that you need to give us at least two working days notice – and that we’re closed on Wednesdays):<\/p>\n

\"requestsca2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"requestsca3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Special Collections & Archives staff will then respond to your email to confirm the time of your appointment.<\/p>\n

If you can’t make your appointment, or don’t need the material any more, please do let us know as soon as you can<\/strong> – it takes time to retrieve items from the stores and we’re limited on space for holding items in the Reading Room for you.<\/p>\n

You can also email your request over to us at specialcollections@kent.ac.uk<\/a> (giving as much information as you can about what you want to see) or pop in the office to see us.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

Can I book in to the Reading Room with a group of people?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You can, but please let us know in advance (how many people and what material you need) so we can check who else is booked in for that day. The Reading Room is often used by other researchers, and it tends to be a quieter space, so you’ll need to bear this in mind if you’re working as a group! If we have a lot of researchers booked in, we may need to ask you to come back on a different day.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

How can I access the playbills you hold? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Our playbills<\/a> are currently being stored offsite during the Library refurbishment. The majority of them, however, have been digitised so we can generally supply you with a digital image of items via email or in the Reading Room. You can also view them online via searching our MODES catalogue<\/a>. If you let us know the classmark (which will generally begin with UKC-POS), we can check if there’s a digital copy available. If there isn’t, we’ll need at least two weeks’ notice<\/strong> before we collect them from our offsite stores.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/p>\n

Contacting Special Collections & Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The SC&A Reading Room<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

When is the Reading Room open?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Reading Room is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 9.30am and 4.30pm. We are closed<\/strong> on Wednesdays and at weekends! Although we require 48 hours’ notice to retrieve material, you’re very welcome to drop in with any questions about using our collections during these hours.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

I’ve emailed you with a query – when can I expect a reply?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We aim to answer any queries about booking appointments within one working day, but more specific queries about your course\/reprographics for your course will be answered on Tuesday afternoons<\/strong>. Please send any requests or questions over to us by Monday morning.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/p>\n

Handling Special Collections & Archives material<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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Viewing an item in the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room<\/p><\/div>\n

Do I need to wear white gloves?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to wear white gloves to handle archival material – except in very special circumstances with certain items. White gloves generally don’t fit your hands exactly, and by wearing them you lose dexterity which can make turning fragile pages much more difficult. As long as your hands are clean and dry, and you haven’t used anything greasy on them beforehand like hand lotion, then touching material without gloves is fine. The British Library have some excellent guidelines that we all follow here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Return to FAQs list<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

How do I handle this item?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The short answer to this question: ask us! We’ll always advise you on how to handle the items you’re looking at, but there are some general guidelines that apply to all our material:<\/p>\n