Researcher Guidelines

Appointments:

Thank you for your interest in the Heritage Village Archives and Library. In-house use of the collection by the public is welcomed.

Access to the collections is only available by appointment. Researchers are encouraged to make their appointment at least one week in advance. Appointments are generally available on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday during museum operating hours.

No materials from the Archives & Library are available for loan.

To schedule an appointment, please review these Guidelines and submit a Researcher Registration Form.

Reading Room Rules:

Because the items contained in the archives collection are both rare and fragile, researchers must comply with the following to protect the items from harm:

No food or drink is allowed in the reading room, except for water in a tightly sealed container located away from all research materials.
To prevent damage to the archives collection, library books, yearbooks, or city directories, researchers must wash and thoroughly dry their hands before handling materials or wear gloves, available in the library.
Photographs may only be handled using gloves. The Archives and Library has nitrile gloves available for researcher use.
Researchers may bring laptops or tablets into the reading room. Public Wi-Fi is available.
Researchers may bring paper on which to make notes; however, only pencils are allowed, no pens.
Researchers are invited to bring wand-style personal scanners to capture images of library or archives materials so long as research assistants or County staff determine that doing so does not risk damaging the materials. Feed style and flat-bed style scanners are prohibited, as is any personal scanning of photographs. Copies made using personal equipment may only be used for personal, non-profit use. Further, any such images are subject to the limitations denoted in the “Copyright law and other applicable restrictions” section of these Guidelines below. Under no circumstances may a researcher bring a camera into the reading room or attempt to photograph any materials therein.
Any items (bags, folders, equipment, etc.) brought in by researchers are subject to inspection at any time during the research appointment.
Do not alter library or archives materials in any way (pencil marks, “dog earring” corners, etc.).
Do not take notes on paper placed on top of archival materials—doing so could leave impressions on the materials beneath.
Researchers must comply with any instructions from County staff or research assistants regarding the handling of materials.

Photocopies:

Researchers may request photocopies of textual materials in the archives and library unless the research assistant or a staff member determines that doing so presents a risk to the materials. The per-copy rate is $.25 for black and white and $.50 for color.

Image reproductions:

Researchers may request a copy of images for a fee. The fee schedule is as follows:

Copy paper black and white reproductions are $1 per image.
Copy paper color reproductions are $2 per image.
Digitized standard-sized (8x10 or smaller) images are $10 per image. Digitized over-sized (greater than 8x10) images are $15 per image. Members of the Pinellas County Historical Society receive a discount of 50% off image files; proof of membership required.
Copies of audio and/or video recordings are $15 per recording.
All copies must be paid for in advance, by check or money order made payable to “Pinellas County Historical Society”. Cash and credit cards are not accepted. Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for completion of your order.

For-profit use of materials:

Prior to any for-profit use, including but not limited to publication, of any photocopies or photograph reproductions provided by County staff or research assistants in accordance with the two sections immediately above, the requesting researcher must complete the Heritage Village Archives and Library Permission and Use Form. To reiterate, images captured using personal equipment may only be used for personal use; they may not be used under any circumstances for for-profit use.

Copyright law and other applicable restrictions:

In requesting, copying, reproducing, publishing, or otherwise utilizing any materials from Heritage Village Archives & Library, the researcher is solely responsible for complying with copyright law and any legal licenses, permissions, or rights associated with said materials. Researchers are encouraged to request and review the Copyright Basics handout; however, staff and research assistants cannot provide legal guidance.