Archives Users' Rules

The archives of the Los Alamos Historical Museum are open weekdays from 10 AM to 4 PM (temporarily closed due to flood on Jan. 2. Please call for information, 505-695-5252). We have a small staff of two people: an archivist and a registrar. We have an even smaller space in which researchers can work in relative comfort. For these and other reasons, we try to allow the best access to the collections to the greatest number of people, provided they abide by the following guidelines:

1. An appointment is required for best service. Please plan to call 24 hours in advance.
   
2. Your topic of research or area of concern should be fully explained to the archives staff. This way, we can select folders, publications or photos which we feel are relevant to your work. We cannot always be available to do this if people arrive unannounced.
   
3. We function on a CLOSED stack basis -- in other words, the staff must assist you. Photo and document files must be selected and refiled by a staff member to prevent loss or misfiling. This means we must have staff available to help you with your selections.
   
4. Photo copies must also be done by the staff so that our photos receive as little handling as possible. If your request takes staff time, a per-hour charge of $20 per hour will be requested along with photo copy fees.
   
5. NO marks may be made on any materials and only pencils may be used in the archives.
   
6. Photos should NEVER be removed from their protective photo sleeves.
   
7. Archives users will be given room in our very limited research space on a first come, first served basis. If you have an appointment, we will do everything possible to give you a table workspace.
   
8. If you require copies of photos and documents: we make in-house copies (fair quality but OK for documents) for $0.10 each. Better-quality laser copies on a black and white machine off premises cost $1.00 each; color copies cost $5.00 each. Off-site copies cannot be made on the same day in most cases. Scanned copies, also done off-site, are $5.00 each. You must provide your own disk, jump drive, or other removable media for storing images.
   
9. Please call 662-6272 for more information on our rates for other items and services, such as copy negatives, copy prints, transparencies, and book publishing. Staff assistance time is billed at $20 per hour (when applicable).
   
10. Please remember that our hours are weekdays only, 10 AM to 4 PM. We are open during the lunch hour. Closed major holidays.