Using the Archives

Use of materials is freely granted to all responsible researchers, subject to regulations and procedures (outlined below) to ensure that the materials are protected from deterioration, mutilation, or loss. You are welcome and encouraged to consult with staff members about your research needs and for clarifcation of procedures.

Archives Policies and Procedures

• Materials do not circulate; that is, they must be used on the premises in the reading room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
• You are required to present at least one form of identification (preferably with a photograph) prior to use of the collections. The ID will be photocopied and returned to you.
• Food and beverages are not allowed in the reading room. Food facilities are located in nearby buildings.
• Except for guide dogs for the visually impaired, animals may not be brought into the building/reading room.
• You may bring paper, pencils, laptop computers, and needed valuables into the reading room. Purses, briefcases, book bags, other totes, and outerwear must be left in a locker. You may have access to your secured belongings at any time outside the reading room.
• To request photocopying or other duplication services, complete the "copy request" form and place it with the item you would like copied. » More information on copy services
• Please handle all items with care. Materials must not be marked on, fastened together, or mutilated in any way. Retain the original order of file folders and items within folders of manuscript collections. If you encounter problems with the physical condition or arrangement of materials, bring them to the attention of a staff member.
• Access to most of the collection is open to all. Consult with the staff for clarification of any restirictions. The Archives reserves the right to limit or prohibit access to any materials if potential for misuse is evident.
• Permission to use materials does not convey permission to publish them. This privilege must be acquired separately and is the responsibility of the user. » More information on getting permission to publish material from the Archives
• Any publication that results from use of a the Archives' primary sources should include citation(s) of the collection(s) used. Should the Archives prove to be a significant resource for a publication, the Archives would appreciate receiving a copy. » More information on citing material from the Archives

Tips for Researchers New to Archives

Holdings in archives differ from materials found in libraries and museums.

• Holdings in archives are often unique, out-of-print, rare, or specialized formats. Most are one-of-a-kind items and they provide documentation of past events from the perspective of participants and first-hand observers. The records and papers are the unselfconscious byproducts of corporate bodies carrying out their functions and responsibilities, and of individuals or families living their lives.
• In contrast to the discrete, published items collected by libraries, the objects (usually called "collections") collected by archives are complex bodies of interrelated, unique materials which share a common provenance (creator or origin).
• Formats are varied, and may include photographs, audio and visual recordings, and artifacts, as well as paper-based material personal or organizational records such as correspondence, memoranda, diaries, minutes of committee and board meetings, reports, speech and lecture notes, financial records, maps, blueprints, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings. »Learn more about the types of materials in archives and their significance via the online exhibit/tutorial, "Medium as Message."

Policies and procedures will be different.

• Archives usually keep a record of patrons through registration procedures.
• Archives generally require patrons to work in designated areas (a reading room).
• Many archives require patrons to place personal belongings in lockers.
• Patrons usually need to request materials (closed stacks). Retrieving material from stacks may take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, depending on storage arrangements. Time spentwaiting for material to be retrieved can often be minimized or eliminated by contacting the archives ahead of time, letting them know what you are interested in, and making an appointment to visit.
• Archives may require patrons to wear gloves while handling some materials.
• Most archives do not allow self-service copying.
• Before bringing your own scanner or digital camera, ask ahead about any policies.
• Archival materials rarely circulate.

Archival materials are also organized differently.

• Generally manuscript materials are not incorporated into an overall subject classification. Instead they remain parts of groupings called "collections," which are formed around the individual, organization, or institution whose activities account for their existence.
• Materials are often kept in the original order given to them by their creator.

The tools you will use to identify the material you would like to use are different.

• Due to their complexity and manner of organization, it is usually not easy to locate and access materials in an archives which are related to your topic of interest without assistance. Ask the archivist or curator for help.
• Ask about computerized databases, similar to a library's online catalog.
• Ask about published guides.
• Ask for collection inventories or finding aids.

Collections of personal papers or organizational records are usually accessed via "finding aids" or "inventories."

• A "finding aid" or "inventory" refers to the descriptive tool, published or unpublished, printed or electronic, which explains the content and organization of a collection of archival materials.
• Finding aids/inventories may be print or electronic, and in the form of databases, catalogs, indexes, lists, or guides.
• A finding aid or inventory will usually include general information like the name of the creator of the material, the date span of the material, and the quantity. It may also include a biographical or historical sketch of the creator and a narrative description or summary of the collection. Generally, there will be various information on how the material is organized (it may be broken down into a number of "series"). For many collections, the finding aid will include a listing of all the boxes and the folders contained in them, sometimes with a great deal of detailed information on their contents, and sometimes just a basic listing.

To get the most out of your time at the archives, plan ahead.

• Give yourself enough time to work with the staff, finding aids, and collections.
• Ask about availability, due to off-site storage.
• Make an appointment.
• Since most archives do not allow-self service copying, be prepared to wait for copies to be mailed to you later or plan time for taking your own notes.

Some Suggested Topics for Research in the YMCA Archives

One would expect the records of the YMCA of the USA to be a good source for studying its well-known recreational and character-building programs, and they are. But there are many additional research topics that may not be as predicatable. The following are just some of the (broad!) research opportunities that could be supported by material in the YMCA Archives.

• Non-traditional education (e.g. development of vocational training, night-schools, and community colleges)
• Social innovation (e.g. promotion of physical culture, health campaigns, citizenship training, youth work, sexual education, public libraries)
• Work with immigrants and "coming Americans" (including the development of early ESL programs)
• The American anti-vice movement
• Religious history from the 1850s; the process of secularization
• The evolution of Evangelical Christianity in America
• World history, especially Asia, after 1889
• A record-making and record-keeping subculture.
• Art and the visual, including postcards and posters
• Early ecumenical work, especially with Orthodox churches
• YMCA architecture
• Work with students and the university YMCA movement (including the development of student orientations and programs to enhance student life)
• Fitness, leisure, and sports
• Photographs
• Structure and management of a large institution of a federal character
• Professionalization
• Public health, at home and abroad
• African American YMCAs, including as a case study of self-help
• International relations

Records of the YMCA's extensive overseas activites include reports, correspondence, photographs, and publications sent back to the "home office" in New York by foreign secretaries to document their activities. These records contain information about YMCA program activities, relationships with local community leaders, and the social and political situations in the various countries. Some topics that could be studied in these records include:

• The introduction of Western sports (basketball, volleyball, track and field, baseball) and American sports ideals abroad
• Services to refugees, especially the White Russians who fled the Revolution
• Work with Chinese laborers in France during World War I
• War and famine relief in China
• Public health campaigns in China in the 1920s
• Rural reconstruction in India
• Ecumenism in Israel/Palestine and Arab-Israeli relations
• Relationship between the YMCA and the Catholic Church in Latin American countries
• The YMCA's influence on statehood and democracy in eastern Europe after World War I
• Japanese relations with Korea and China
• Vocational training, especially in Korea and Ethiopia
• The end of colonialism in Africa
• The great fire and evacuation of Greeks from Smyrna (1922)

The YMCA was very extensively involved in services to members of the armed forces in wartime, both at home and oversease, starting with the Civil War. Some topics that could be studied in these records include the following:

• The role of sports in the military during World War I
• Desegregation of USO facilities during World War II
• Services to prisoners of war, both in the U.S. and in Europe

See the Past Research page for more ideas.

Last revised: November 24, 2009 ©2005 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer

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