Guides and Finding Aids
A finding aid (also known as an inventory or register) is a description of the material found within a manuscript collection. Finding aids for the Manuscripts Collections and other holdings may be found in the Library's Research Room. They reflect the changing standards in the archival field. Some of the finding aids contain detailed inventories, listing each individual item and every correspondent, while others provide only a summary explanation of the contents of the collection. Nearly every collection is open to the public and available for research. Due to the fragile nature of some of these unique documents, researchers may be asked to use the microfilm version if available. Photocopiers (25 cents per page) are available in the Research Room. Occasionally, restrictions may be placed on photocopying due to the fragility of a particular document.
Online Finding Aids
At the present time, finding aids for only a portion of the Manuscripts Collections appear online, however, titles for all collections are listed. As work continues on this project, more finding aids will be available online. Researchers are encouraged to contact the Curator of Manuscripts for more information about the manuscripts collections.
Online Card Catalog
Currently, cataloging information on most of the Manuscripts Collections appears in BGlink and OhioLINK Information on the bulk of the collections in BGLink and OhioLINK are retrieved most easily by Keyword, Author, or Subject searches. Cataloging of Manuscripts Collections is provided by the Library of Congress.