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Research & Reference Policies

The Heritage Center serves as a research center for scholars, students, and others to access the historic collections under the care of Founding Forward.
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Offsite Research or Reference Requests

For researchers located outside of the Philadelphia area and unable to make the trip to the Heritage Center, there are offsite research options available. Please email [email protected] or call 215-587-5568 to learn more about offsite research or reference requests.

Research Policies

As you begin your Research, we ask that you follow the below policies and procedures:
  • All researchers should sign the Registration Log (provided by the archivist or other Founding Forward staff).
  • Store all coats, briefcases, handbags, backpacks, etc. in the Heritage Center closet.
  • Laptops, iPads, tablets, paper, and other research materials are welcome, but must be declared prior to using any materials.
  • Camera and phone cameras are permitted with the use of a Photography Permission Form available from staff. Please no flash.
  • Digital handheld scanners are not permitted.
  • Other forms of reproduction (photocopies, photocopier scans, digital camera copies, and digital scanned images) are available upon request.
  • In order to request research materials, researchers must fill out a Researcher Registration Form, sign the bottom of this sheet, and fill out a Material Requested Form with as much information as possible.
  • Research materials must be used on the Research Table.
  • Only pencils may be used in the research space.
  • Food, drink, and chewing gum are not permitted.
  • All materials are subject to a security check upon leaving the Research Center.
  • Please keep cell phones inaudible. If you must take a call, please do so in the hallway.

Safe Handling Procedures

  • Hands should be kept clean to prevent damage to the collections.
  • Do not use hand cream or hand sanitizer prior to or while handling collections.
  • Lift materials with two hands to prevent creasing, bending, tearing or breaking.
  • Do not attempt to lift a large object by yourself. Ask for assistance.
  • Do not attempt to unfold collections materials. Ask for assistance.
  • Keep collections flat or on a book cradle and on the Research Table. Do not let any materials hang off of the side of the table.
  • Do not lean on or set heavy objects on top of collections. Worms and bean bags are available to hold volumes open.
  • Keep all materials in the order in which they were given to you.

Photography Policies

The use of film or digital cameras is permitted in the Heritage Center subject to the conditions specified on this form. Video cameras and hand held scanners are not permitted. Mobile devices with cameras are permitted as long as they are not used to capture video.
  • All images must include the “Notice Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions.”
  • Photographs must be taken hand-held and only with available light, no flash. Photographs taken are for personal or research reference only, not for publication without express written consent from Founding Forward staff.
  • Please list each item photographed on the reverse side of this form. The form must be countersigned by the Founding Forward staff at the beginning of your research day and when you leave for the day. Before leaving the Heritage Center, please hand in the signed Photography Permission Form.
  • Founding Forward reserves the right to limit or deny the photographing of materials in our care for conservation or preservation reasons.
  • Permission to reproduce is for research purposes only.
  • Researchers must not permit others to reproduce the photographic or digital images that were obtained/created at the Heritage Center.
  • The researcher is responsible for obtaining permission from copyright owners, if necessary, and paying any applicable fees.

Reproduction Policies

Founding Forward staff will provide photocopies, photocopier scans, digital camera copies, and scanned digital images of the collections owned by, or under the stewardship of, Founding Forward. All reproductions are subject to United States Copyright law. Reproductions of the collections owned by, or under the stewardship of, Founding Forward are for reference use only and possession of copies does not constitute permission to publish or exhibit. All fees must be prepaid. To request photocopies, photocopier scans, digital camera copies, or scanned digital images, please fill out the Reproduction Request Form. Items that are too fragile, oversized, or tightly bound may not be copied or scanned.
Please contact [email protected] or call 215-587-5568 for more information about reproductions and/or reproduction policies.

Publication Policies

Founding Forward makes the items in its collections available for publication for books, dissertations, exhibits, etc., under the following conditions:
  • The requestor and/or publisher assumes all responsibility for any infringement of the U.S. Copyright law. Founding Forward does not claim to control the copyright on collection originals unless such copyright has been transferred to Founding Forward. Founding Forward holds copyright to digital images created by Founding Forward staff.
  • Published digital reproductions are permitted only from copies supplied by Founding Forward staff, without any alterations, except under circumstances approved by staff prior to publication.
  • The requestor and/or publisher gives appropriate credit as outlined by Founding Forward.
  • The requestor and/or publisher supplies Founding Forward with a copy of the publication in which the image appears.
  • The item is used in a manner that respects its physical and intellectual integrity.
  • Permission is granted by Founding Forward for one-time use only, after an official request is submitted and a contract is signed.
  • Exclusive rights for use are not granted.
  • Founding Forward does not surrender its rights as owner of the item by granting permission for reproduction.
Check out a few of the examples where our collections were published:

The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People, and Ideas

Edited by Andrea Canepari and Judith Goode

Temple University Press 2021.

Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader

Michael J. Gerhardt
HarperCollins 2021

For the Restoration of the Union: The Conservative Unionism of Wilson and Thomas Swann

Brian Neumann
University of Virginia, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History, January 11, 2021. https://naucenter.as.virginia.edu/blog-page/1301

Images of America: Westmont

Maggie South

Arcadian Publishing 2021

Blue Blooded Cavalryman: Captain William Brooke Rawle in the Army of the Potomac, May 1863 to August 1865

J. Gregory Acken

Kent State University Press, 2019

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