Library Policies
Special Notice
The Congregational Library and Archives is now open by appointment-only. We will be able to accommodate scanning/reproduction requests using the fee structure as noted below. Please reach out to ref@14beacon.org if you have any questions.
Borrowing Books
The Congregational Library & Archives loans to members, either by mail or in person, and is a participant in the ATLA Reciprocal Borrowing Program. A borrower from an ATLA Reciprocal Borrowing institution must be in good standing and show proof of current enrollment at a participating library. Lending is restricted to contemporary (less than 35 years old) books. Email questions and borrowing requests to circ@14beacon.org.
| Lending period: | 4 weeks |
| Renewals: | 4 weeks limit 1 renewal per item request by phone, mail, or to circ@14beacon.org |
| Book limit: | 4 books per person at any time |
| Overdue fee is 25 cents per day. Books not returned within a reasonable time of notification must be replaced at the borrower's expense. | |
Photocopies, Reproductions, and Citations
Photocopies
| Non-members | Contributor level members | Supporter level members | |
| in person | $0.25 per page | first 10 pages free $0.25 per page (pages 11+) |
first 25 pages free $0.20 per page (pages 20+) |
| by mail | $0.25 per page, plus postage | first 10 pages free $0.25 per page (pages 11+), plus postage |
first 25 pages free $0.20 per page (pages 20+), free postage |
Patrons are welcome to bring digital cameras, especially for items too fragile for copying.
Scans and digital photographs
Large or fragile materials require us to take digital photographs. Please note that requests that require more than an hour of staff time or for fragile materials may be declined at the staff’s discretion.
| Non-members | Contributor level members | Supporter level members | |
| base scanning fee | $15.00 $0.50 per image |
$15.00, up to 10 images $0.50 per image (images 11+) |
$10.00, up to 10 images $0.25 per image (images 11+) |
| rush orders (at staff discretion) |
$20.00 additional processing | $20.00 additional processing | $10.00 additional processing |
| copy of pre-existing high-resolution scan | $25.00 per image | $20.00 per image | $10.00 per image |
| new high-resolution scan | $35.00 per image | $30.00 per image | $20.00 per image |
| email/dropbox delivery | free | free | free |
| by mail or flash drive | $3.50 postage (domestic) $10.00 postage (international) $10.00 for flash drive |
$3.50 postage (domestic) $10.00 postage (international) $10.00 for flash drive |
$10.00 for flash drive free postage |
| delivery time | 1 - 4 weeks from payment | 1 - 4 weeks from payment | within 2 weeks of payment |
Copyright Restrictions
Notice warning concerning copyright restrictions
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The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. |
If material is protected by copyright, it cannot be reproduced for any purpose other than research, unless granted specific permission by the copyright holder.
Permission to Publish
- Send requests to publish to ref@14beacon.org.
- Credit line: Courtesy of the Congregational Library & Archives, Boston, Massachusetts (collection name, record group/mss. number and/or item identification, if available).
- For photographs, if the photographer is identified, the credit line should read: Photograph by Jane Doe. Courtesy of the Congregational Library, Boston, Massachusetts (collection name, record group/mss. number and/or item identification, if available). This credit line must be included for each photograph reproduced.
Conditions
- Permission is granted for one-time, non-exclusive, world-wide rights in the medium and language specified. This agreement applies to the project specified in this agreement, and this project only.
- Permission is granted only for one edition of a publication (defined as any number of reprintings whereby the text remains essentially unchanged), or to a single video, digital, television, or film production for the life of the production with unlimited rebroadcasts.
- Permission to publish is contingent upon the acknowledgement of this request from Congregational Library & Archives.
- Requester agrees to pay for fees for publication and reproduction of images. See Congregational Library & Archives fee schedule, which is subject to change.
- Please be sure the material you are requesting is under the Congregational Library & Archives purview. The Congregational Library & Archives cannot grant permission to cite or quote from published works including, but not limited to, books, broadsides, pamphlets, and journals. When a work has been published, the intellectual copyright lies with the author until the copyright expires. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication.
Download a publication request form. [PDF]
Fees for publishing
| Non-profit publication use | $25 |
| Commercial use, Domestic publication | $100 |
| Commercial use, International publication | $150 |
Payments may be made by mail using check or money order, or online through PayPal. Make checks payable to The Congregational Library & Archives.
Payment Options
Please send check or money order payable to: Congregational Library & Archives, 14 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108.
To use Paypal, please click the Pay Now button below.
