Performing Archival Research

Archival research appointments are held in the lower level of the Pratt Institute Library on the Brooklyn Campus. Maps and directions to the campus are available on Pratt's Visit Pratt page. 

If you do not have an active Pratt ID, you will need to check in with the Circulation Desk upon entering the Library, who will have been notified of your appointment. Library staff will scan you through the gates, and direct you to the Archives' research table. No proof of identity is required to enter the Library. If you are a current Pratt student, faculty, or staff member, you are welcome to come directly to the lower level, but Library staff are still happy to direct you where to go. 

Note that the Archives' research table is located in a shared work area and noise levels can vary throughout the day.

Fill out a registration form.
When you first arrive at the Archives research table, a staff member will ask you to fill out a registration form with some information about yourself and your research. This information is used for security, statistical, and contact purposes only. We’d love to hear about your experience and research using the Pratt Archives, so please let us know on the back of the form if we can feature your project on our website one day. If you’d rather not share, that’s fine too!  

A staff member will be present for the duration of your appointment. We are there to make sure the collections remain safe while they’re in use, but we’re also there to help you in case you need it. Please let us know if you have any questions about the materials you’re viewing, notice any damaged items, need help handling something, or suspect materials are out of order.

To ensure our collections can continue to be used by all future researchers, we ask that you follow these guidelines when handling archival materials:

Do's

• Wash your hands with soap and water before handling materials. 
• Write notes with pencils. 
• Laptops, mobile phones, and other devices can also be used for note-taking. 
• Keep your work area tidy. 
• Photography (no flash, please!) is allowed for personal reference. For other uses like publications, or if you need a reproduction, please consult a staff member. 
• Use one box at a time, and remove one folder at a time from the box. 
• Keep items in order within their boxes and folders. 
• Handle materials with care. If you’re worried something is too delicate to handle, let a staff member know. 
• Use book cradles for bound materials. Weights are also available, if needed. 
• Use cotton gloves (provided by the staff) for handling photographs and negatives not in protective enclosures. 

Don'ts

• Do not use pens and permanent ink for note-taking. Pencils will be provided. 
• Food and beverages, including bottled water and gum, are not allowed. You are welcome to take breaks away from the materials if you need to eat or drink something. 
• Do not remove items from folders. Please use paper slips to mark your place, or to flag materials for reproduction. 
• Do not remove items from protective enclosures. 
• Do not rest your hand, arm, or any other objects on the materials. 
• Do not flatten bound volumes. 
• Keep bags, purses, and backpacks off of the table while materials are in use. 

Take notes, and lots of them. 
During your research appointment, it's important to keep a record of what you’ve seen and what information you found. How you do this is totally up to you! Some researchers don’t take any notes, but, in order to get through as much as possible, they take lots of photos of the materials to come back to later. Other researchers don’t take any photos but find that writing down things helps them better engage with the materials while they have them directly in front of them. Regardless of your technique, it is especially important to take note of any folder names you found useful. This way, if you have questions, need something digitized, or want archivists to confirm any information for you later, we know exactly where you found it. You’ll also need this information in the event you decide to cite these materials in a scholarly work.

Patience and perseverance!   
Archival research can be a tedious process that requires patience. You may have to trudge through files upon files of irrelevant information until you come upon what you were looking for. But along the way, you might find things you didn’t expect! 

Understand that gaps will exist, and learn how to read between the lines. 
Archives will never be able to tell the full story. Over time, materials may get separated from each other, damaged, or discarded. Archival research will always take a bit of detective work to piece together the leftover tidbits of history. Because of this, it is often necessary to interpret the materials you find alongside other research or sources. Sometimes what is not in a collection can also tell you just as much about what is in a collection. What stories might be missing? What voices might have been excluded? Be ready to confront gaps in information and holes in the narrative. 

How much do I need to tell you about my research? 
While we are happy to answer your research questions, the amount of information you tell us about your research is fully up to you. Remember that all research inquiries are welcome and valued. You are not obligated to explain why you are requesting certain materials or justify your research to anyone. The more information you tell us, though, the better we can help you with your research!

There are rare instances where access to specific materials is restricted due to sensitive personal information, donor requests, or legal protections like FERPA. If you request to view these materials, we will need to ask a few more questions about your research. 

Do I need to visit in-person to perform archival research at Pratt? 
Not always! Archives staff are happy to help answer simple reference questions by email or phone. For reference questions received by email or over the phone that involve more extensive research, however, we’ll advise you to set up an appointment to visit the Archives.

Some research can also be done remotely via the Digital Collections website. Several collections, like the Prattonia Yearbooks Collection, Prattler student newspaper, and the Negative Collection, have been digitized in full - we would actually prefer you to use the digital versions rather than the physical!

We do our best to make sure the Archives are as accessible as possible. We are considerate of the fact that not everyone is easily able to access our space, and we’ll do the best we can to help you with your research. You can review our Access Policy here. Please let us know if you need any accommodations prior to visiting the Pratt Institute Archives.