Due to COVID-19, Special Collections & Archives (SCA) has implemented procedures in addition to our basic use guidelines.

Archives Appointment Request:

• SCA is open by appointment only, Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:00pm.
• Appointments for Monday must be made at least 72 hours in advance. Appointments for Tuesday-Friday must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
• We will confirm appointments via email or phone during our business hours. Please wait for confirmation of the appointment before showing up in person.
• Only one person or one family unit is allowed in at a time (one family unit consists of two people who reside together).
• We prefer that researchers request the materials they intend to use ahead of time (e.g., title/call number, collection/box number).

Confirmation/Agreement:

• Researchers must confirm that they have NOT traveled out of Kentucky within the last two weeks leading up to their visit to SCA. 
• Researchers must confirm that they have had no symptoms of any illness, including COVID-19, within the last three days. 
• Researchers must also agree to cancel their appointment if they have any symptoms of illness, including symptoms of COVID-19, on the day of the appointment (cancel by contacting us at archives.library@eku.edu or at 859-622-1792). Note: Researchers do not have to share their health information with us to cancel an appointment. Appointments may be cancelled at any time for any reason.

On-Site Guidelines:

• Researchers must wear a mask at all times, not just within SCA but within the library and when walking outside on EKU's campus. 
• EKU students, faculty and staff must scan their official EKU ID -- their Colonel Card -- at the library's entrance desk.
• Non-EKU researchers (those without an EKU ID) must check in at the library's entrance desk.
• We ask that all researchers refrain from using hand sanitizer before coming into SCA. Hand sanitizer does not remove dirt and oils, which can transfer to collections and stain or damage them. Instead, researchers are asked to wash their hands with soap and water immediately before their visit to SCA.

Basic Use Guidelines:

• Items may be used only in the SCA Reading Room.
• Please do not use ink pens in the reading room. Pencils are provided. 
• All bags or purses must be left outside of the reading room. Researchers can either hang their bags/purses on the hooks outside the reading room or they can ask for a locker key. 
• No food or drink is allowed. No tobacco/vaping is allowed.
• We have a photocopier for researcher use. Personal cameras may also be used.

Along with the rest of the Library, we will be providing instruction remotely due to COVID-19. Remote instruction options include the following: Live Online Session, Pre-Recorded Online Session, and Embedded Archivist in Blackboard.

For a Live Online Session, we will do our best to replicate an in-person class visit, but as you know there will be some differences. Instead of a physical tour, an introduction to Special Collections & Archives may involve Powerpoint and photographs. Instead of working with physical materials, active learning sessions may be built around a small selection of digital materials or a single digital collection. We may even need to completely change our approach to your class so that we can still meet your learning objectives.

It may make more sense, for example, to switch to the Embedded Archivist in Blackboard option. Embedded archivists can monitor the Ask Your Librarian Discussion Board and/or create archives training modules. The training modules can be supplemented with brief assignments that have students emulate what they learned and reflect on their process. Example training modules can be found in the Tutorials box on this page, and here is a link to a sample search and reflection assignment that has been used by the Library.
 

As we all continue to face the pandemic and navigate uncertainty, EKU Special Collections & Archives invites you to share your story with us. The perspectives of EKU students, faculty, staff, and our local community are invaluable to future generations.

You could write a brief essay, keep a journal, create artwork, compose a poem, or even interview family and friends. You can reflect on how COVID-19 has impacted you personally, or society as a whole.

For tips, prompts, and how to donate your work, please see the Share How COVID-19 Impacts You project site.

Due to safety measures taken in response to COVID-19, we will be providing archives instruction remotely for this semester. Thank you for your understanding.

Archives Instruction Request Form

Please submit this form at least two (2) weeks in advance of your preferred date for class instruction or records management training. Complete a separate form for each instruction session.