TFI’s Collections Department, which includes collections found in the Library, Archives, and Museum, work closely together to coordinate the preservation of library materials, archives, and artifacts. The materials collected include

• Institutional, departmental, and presidents’ records
• Artifacts, ephemera, manuscripts, personal papers, audio and visual recordings, photographs, and scrapbooks of scientists and lecturers
• Notable collections including the Lewis Sharpe Ware sugar beet collection and the Committee on the Science and the Arts

To support equal access to its holdings while protecting the materials for current and future use, TFI’s Collections Department advises visitors to the Library or the Archives about the following conditions on access and use:

Hours

TFI’s Reading Room is open to researchers Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Please call or email a minimum of two weeks or more in advance of your visit to ensure the room is available and to schedule your time. Weekend or evening access outside of regular museum hours might be feasible upon advanced request but is not promised.

Registration

All researchers are required to register, providing their name, address, telephone number and signature, and they are requested to present proof of identification, including confirmation of address, contact details and, if possible, an e-mail address. Personal information gathered is only used for security and communication purposes and for statistical analysis and is not published or disseminated beyond TFI’s Collections Department. If possible, please fill out before your visit our On-Site Visitor Research Form (click to download).

Reading Room Conditions of Use

1. Researchers may not bring coats, briefcases, backpacks or personal books into the Reading Room. Storage space in the Librarian’s office is provided free of charge. Researchers are advised to keep their valuables, such as wallets, on their person; TFI is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

2. Smoking, eating, and drinking are prohibited in the Reading Room. Researchers may access the museum lunchroom to consume their own refreshments. Smoking is only permitted outside the building in the designated smoking area.

3. Personal computers, small digital cameras, cellular phones with cameras and dictation or recording equipment for personal note taking or for photographing documents or images are permitted in the Reading Room. Camera flashes, video cameras, tripods and scanning equipment are not permitted.

4. Internet connectivity is provided for users’ own computers.

5. Pens or ink of any kind may not be used in the Reading Room. Collections Staff will supply pencils on request.

6. Nitrile gloves will be provided by Collections Staff and must be worn while handling objects in the collections.

7. All must be handled carefully. When working with paper archives, researchers are requested to open only one folder at a time and to keep items in their existing order. They are advised not to place bound materials face down, nor to lean on materials or write on or trace over materials.

8. No library or archival material may be removed from the Reading Room. Collections Staff reserve the right to inspect all containers, bags or folders whenever researchers leave the room.

9. Researchers who wish to view restricted materials must contact the individual or agency imposing the restrictions. Collections Staff will be happy to provide contact details if they are known but cannot permit access to any restricted materials without written authority from the appropriate individual or agency

Support for Users

TFI’s Collections Department is committed to providing equitable access to library and archival holdings to everyone, including people with disabilities. As much as possible, the Collections Department will strive to provide services and resources in a manner that supports access and use regardless of ability, including providing library and archival descriptions available in different formats, and making copies of original material to permit alternate methods of handling and use. If you are unable to visit in person or need other accommodations, please email library@fi.edu.

The Collections Staff is pleased to assist and advise researchers who visit in person, but given the limited resources available, can only provide remote research support of no more than one hour every three months to external researchers who cannot visit the institution in person. All requests must be approved in advance. Additional research time can be available for a low fee.

TFI's Collections Department supports remote access to information from and about its holdings by contributing library information to a national descriptive network, and archival descriptions to a state archival descriptive network, and by publishing information on TFI’s website. For more information, go to the Collection Highlights page on TFI's website. 

Further Information

TFI’s Collections Staff do not appraise materials. Please contact the appraisal society in your country for a list of appraisers in a specific geographic location.