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	The Robert Delaney Southwest Research Library and Archives/Special Collections

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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:   The Robert Delaney Southwest Research Library is Fort Lewis College’s special collections reference library.  Delaney Library resources support student/faculty/staff research work, classroom instruction, administrative work pertaining to the College, research by visiting scholars, and the citizens of Colorado and worldwide.  The library supports the College’s Southwest Studies curriculum.  It contains materials relating to the American Southwest, primarily the Four Corners Region, and the Native American tribes of the greater Southwest, including northern Mexico.

HOURS:  Click here for details on hours, closings, etc.

RESEARCH ROOM USE POLICIES :  We ask your help in preserving the Center of Southwest Studies research collections by observing the following policies:

• The research room and adjacent areas are primarily for users of Delaney Library materials.
• You may bring a notebook, note cards and/or a laptop computer into the research room.  Pencils are provided for use in the room.
• Lockers and a coatroom are provided (before the entrance to the Delaney Library) for all personal belongings.  Coats, backpacks, purses, briefcases, laptop cases and cellular phones are not permitted in the Delaney Library.  Lockers cost a quarter, which is refunded when you vacate the locker.
• Duplication of materials by use of personal copiers, scanners, cameras and recorders is not permitted.
• Delaney Library materials may only be used in the research room.  Some exceptions will be made for classroom instruction use.  (See Special Conditions for Faculty Check-out of Library Materials.)

USING THE COLLECTIONS :  The Delaney Library is a research library.  The Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science defines a research library as “a library which contains a comprehensive collection of materials in a specific field or academic discipline, including primary resources to meet the information needs of serious researchers.”  Most of the Southwest holdings are primary research material or are of archival quality and therefore would be difficult to replace if lost.   As such, none of the materials are available for use outside of the Delaney Library's research room.

Although use is limited to the library’s open hours, the library’s holdings, including archives, are cataloged in TALON, the main library catalog.  Students and researchers are encouraged to do preliminary research on TALON to locate materials.  This will allow you more time to actually use the materials during the library’s limited open hours.  TALON can be accessed online at: http://opac.fortlewis.edu 

The Delaney Library's books, periodicals, and microforms are openly accessible in the library.  Other materials are housed in closed storage archives due to their special or rare nature and are brought to the research room upon completion of the Center's Request for Special Collections Materials form and (annually) the User Registration Form.  While the Delaney Library promotes the use of its collections, special handling requirements may have to be used to ensure their preservation for future use.  Archival collections have a varied policy for access use.  Please see http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/SpecialCollections.htm for policies regarding access and use of the special/ archival collections at the Delaney Library.

DUPLICATION:  Since the collections must be used in the Delaney Library, there is a coin/card-operated copier available for the duplication of materials.  Paper, legal and ledger size copies can be made for 10 cents/copy.  Reusable copy cards can be purchased from the Periodicals Department in the basement of Reed Library for $5.00 ($1.00 is for the card; $4 is for copies; if you are making more than 100 copies, it will save you money and provide efficiency for you to obtain the card).  Due to the sensitive or fragile nature of some materials, some items cannot be copied.  The Center has two microfilm/fiche readers with attached printers.  Copies cost $.20 and $.10/copy, depending upon the machine.  Users are responsible for complying with all copyright laws and restrictions.

• Books, periodicals and archival materials in good condition may be copied at the Delaney Library copier.
• Payment for copies for off-site special collections researchers must be sent in advance.  See instructions.
• All special collections/ archival materials used in research papers or publications must be properly cited and credited to the Delaney Library.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS FOR FACULTY CHECK-OUT OF LIBRARY MATERIALS :  Although the collections in the Delaney Library are deemed to be for library use only, there will be occasions when items will need to be checked out for instructional or special research use by faculty.  In these cases, some restrictions will be lifted to make materials accessible.  The policy for special use will be:

• All faculty, including staff, must use the check out system;
• Materials check out only with a valid Fort Lewis College ID card;
• Materials are checked out in the librarian’s office only;
• Most materials have a check out period of one week, with extended periods for reserves ;
• Materials must be returned to the Delaney Library;
• Overdue materials are subject to $1/hour fines;
• No special collections materials can be checked out -- only books.

None of the materials in the Delaney Library are available for interlibrary loan, with the exception of periodical articles.

TALON ONLINE PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTERS (OPAC) USE POLICIES:  Three public computers are available at the Center--designated for research purposes only.  Users are strongly discouraged from using the OPACs for email or other non-research purposes.  Please use the computer labs to access your email account or to write your papers.  All of the OPACs are connected to the network printer located near the photocopier.  Self-service printouts cost $.05/page.  Please use the recycle bin for all paper refuse.

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES ORIENTATION AND TOURS:  Orientation and tours of the Delaney Library and special collection/ archives are available to faculty, students, staff, community members and groups, and other guests by appointment.  While it is best to tour the library during our regular open hours, we will do our best to accommodate your class or group if that is not possible.  Since both the Librarian and the Archivist teach scheduled courses, we ask that you send us your tour request at least one week in advance.  Although the library and archives are housed in the same room, the materials and scope do vary.  As such, tours of the library and/or the archives must be made separately with the Librarian and/or the Archivist. 

For tours of the library, contact Elayne Silversmith, Librarian, 970-382-6951, or email: Silversmith_E@fortlewis.edu

For tours of the archives/ special collections, contact Todd Ellison, Archivist, 970-247-7126, or e-mail: archives@fortlewis.edu.

Note: we cannot return individuals' long-distance phone calls.  Please use email.

Library instruction for individual classes in Southwest or Anthropology must be made via Reed Library’s Instruction department.  Please use the Library Instruction Request Form that is accessed from the Reed Library home page at http://library.fortlewis.edu/~request/bireq.html.

Information for doing research at the Center of Southwest Studies

Guides to the special collections at the Center of Southwest Studies

Center of Southwest Studies home

Page last modified: July 30, 2007