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Archives & Special Collections

Prepare for your Visit: Home

Hours, directions, and information about making an appointment in the Archives and Special Collections.

Out of concern for the health of our patrons and staff, Archives and Special Collections’ research room is currently closed. We will open to UL ID holders on August 4, by appointment only. UL faculty, staff, and students can schedule appointments (see our "Prepare for Your Visit" page). We are open to all via virtual reference: by email and telephone (502-852-6752). And don’t forget you can explore images, interviews, newspapers, maps, and more via our Digital Collections and Oral History Center online.

Schedule an Appointment

Before You Visit

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Archives and Special Collections research room is currently closed. On August 4, 2020, the research room will open to UL ID holders, by appointment only, Tuesday-Friday, 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm.

We encourage all researchers who are not current UL faculty, staff or students to contact us for virtual reference. We can be reached by email (archives@louisville.edu) or telephone (502-852-6752) and are happy to help.

Please follow these steps in setting up and preparing for your appointment:

  1. Search our online catalog and Popular Topics guides to identify materials for research. Some of our materials are not cataloged, but this is a good starting place.
  2. Schedule an appointment using our online system. The system is set up for 50 minute appointments to allow us to clean between researchers, but you are welcome to make more than one appointment in order to give yourself enough time to do your research. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Since for your protection only 3 researchers may be in the research room at a time, we advise you to book as far in advance as possible to ensure that an appointment is available. The system allows booking up to 1 month in advance.
  3. Register as a researcher and familiarize yourself with our use and personal digital camera policies.
  4. If you have identified any specific collection materials you would like to access during your visit, you can request them as part of the registration process.
  5. Talk with us about your research question. We will reach out to you by telephone or email before your appointment to explore your question, so so please check your voicemail frequently or watch for an email from ascrefA@louisville.edu. This will enable us to pull the materials you need before you arrive, saving you time and reducing face to face interaction.

Working in Our Research Room

In order to ensure the health and safety of our researchers and staff, the following policies and procedures will be in place for the use of the Archives & Special Collections research room:

  1. You must wear a mask in order to enter our research room, and for the duration of your stay there. If you forget your mask, we have disposable masks available for your use.
  2. You must show a current UL ID.
  3. We will assign you a locker for personal items that are not permitted in the research room.
  4. Staff will be on hand to help you safely handle collection materials and answer any questions.

Discover. Create. Succeed.