RESEARCH—The staff of the St. Louis Room encourages research in its collections and does all that it can to facilitate the use of the collections.  The staff is always happy to consult with a patron regarding a research request.  Nevertheless, it is not the duty or the responsibility of the St. Louis Room staff to do research for a patron.  Staff does understand, however, the unique nature of special collections research.  Many patrons are looking for only a very specific piece of information or they simply want to determine if it is worth a visit to Saint Louis University to examine the collections.  In recognition of these facts, a St. Louis Room staff member may spend up to one hour researching a request at no charge if he/she feels that an item in our collections might provide the information the patron is seeking.  Within this hour of research time, a staff member may also make up to 10 photocopies at no charge to assist in answering the request. If more than 10 photocopies are needed, then the "Photocopies" policy described below applies.  If the staff anticipates that answering a request will take longer than an hour, the patron will be asked to visit the St. Louis Room in person or to make other arrangements for the research.

PHOTOCOPIES—Requests for photocopies from books or documents will be granted only if the copying can be done without damaging the material and it does not violate access restrictions or copyright law.  Patrons may be given permission to photocopy from some books on public copiers within Pius Library but outside the St. Louis Room.  Appropriate identification must be left in these cases.

If it is determined that staff must do the copying, the patron requests that staff do the copying, or staff must make more than 10 photocopies to answer a research request, then the patron will be charged 10 cents per copy plus $10.00 per hour or portion thereof that it takes to do the copying.  (Current Saint Louis University faculty, staff, and students will not be charged the hourly charge for the first hour of copying.)  Photocopy requests will normally be ready two working days after the request is made.  If the patron needs the material in less than two days, a rush charge of twice the total cost for copies and time will be added.  If the copies are to be mailed, the patron must pay a $5.00 fee for postage and handling.  Normally, copies will be sent by first class mail.  If a patron desires faster delivery service, he/she must pay an additional $3.00 handling fee plus the actual charge for shipping.  To preserve the integrity of its collections, the St. Louis Room reserves the right to limit the number of copies that may be made from any collection or book.

AUDIOVISUAL SERVICES—As a patron service, the St. Louis Room provides for the limited duplication of its non-restricted audiovisual materials.  These audiovisual materials include three general categories—photographs and slides, films and video tapes, and audio recordings.  Researchers wishing copies of any audiovisual material must read the established policies and procedures for each category of audiovisual item, and must complete an "Audiovisual Services Request" form.  Researchers should be aware that the St. Louis Room contains no in-house photographic, video, or audio duplication equipment.  All duplication work is taken by staff either to an off campus vendor or to the University's Instructional Media Center.  Fees are charged for all audiovisual duplication services.  Please contact the St. Louis Room for more information about these services and fees.