Policies and Guidelines

Registration

All researchers must sign in and out of the Archives Guest Register. Researchers currently affiliated with MBI should provide an MBI-issued ID; all others will be asked to supply the following (if not already documented in the reference interview correspondence):

• First and Last name
• Current place of residence (mailing address)
• Government-issued ID (type and number)
• Research Topic
• Signature

Rules for Researchers

1. Coats, briefcases, parcels and personal books should be left by the Archives door. These articles will not be permitted close to the archival materials.
2. Ringers on mobile phones must be turned off and researchers should leave the Archives for any phone conversation.
3. Please show consideration for other researchers by being quiet.
4. No ink of any kind may be used in the research area; use pencils only. Researchers may use loose-leaf paper or note cards. Due to space limitations, computers may only be brought into the archives at the discretion of the library staff.
5. Smoking, eating, and drinking are prohibited in the archives.

Rules for Handling Archival Material

1. Archival materials are one-of-a-kind and do not circulate.
2. All archival materials must be handled carefully: use only one folder at a time and keep the papers in their existing arrangement.  Do not place books or volumes face-down. Do not lean or press on archival materials. Do not trace maps or other records. Do not mark documents in any way.
3. No material from the Archives may be removed from the research area.  Materials to be copied may be taken to the copier or the Bookeye scanner upon library staff approval.

Citation

If citing material from the Archives, please use the following formula:

• Item; File name; Collection; Moody Bible Institute, Chicago; access date.
  • e.g. Merton Smith's report to the Board of Managers of the Chicago Evangelization Society, February 5, 18--; Dryer, Emma, Letter to Mrs. McCormick; Biographical Files; Moody Bible Institute, Chicago; February 15, 2007.

Photocopying

The MBI Archives licenses copying for personal use only. Researchers agree that copies will not be reproduced, sold or distributed to other individuals or repositories. Researchers are advised that it is their responsibility, not the Archives', to obtain copyright clearance to publish or otherwise reproduce or distribute archival material. Whenever possible, the library staff will provide the names and addresses of copyright holders.

• Infringement of these regulations may result in loss of access to these materials.
• The MBI Archives reserves the right to permit or deny use of any of the collections.
• Unless restricted or protected by copyright conditions, photocopies of materials may be made for $0.10 per side, or scanned for free.
• Researchers may copy archival materials using their own cameras, but may not use flash bulbs.

Permission Requests

Users requiring copies of photographs, maps, or sound recordings are requested to consult the library staff about the conditions and charges.

• Archival material is non-circulating.
• Photocopies and/or scanning of materials are usually allowed if the condition of the document permits.
• No material is permitted to go off campus, unless special permission is granted by the Public Services Librarian.
• Archival materials may be checked out for special projects to a department or individual within the Chicago campus.
• Departments/individuals checking out material assume responsibility for that material while it is in their possession, including its safe return to the Archives by the due date.
• If more than a couple items are being checked out, a thorough and complete listing of these materials should be compiled by the Archives Assistant. The list should be initialed by the Assistant and the person checking out the items and be attached to the interdepartmental checkout form.
• Materials checked out from the Archives that do not have a barcode should not be returned through interoffice mail nor left at the circulation desk but should be returned directly to the Archives or Public Services Librarian. Arrangements should be made for their return before checkout.
• Materials checked out from the Archives that have a barcode should not be returned through interoffice mail nor placed in the book drop but should be handed to the circulation desk worker to be checked in and returned to the Archives.
• Lost items will incur a fee of $150 per item.

For the purpose of advancing and promoting the Archives at MBI, class projects involving research, organization, and/or promotion of Archives materials is permitted and encouraged. Professors and students involved in such projects will abide by the following rules and procedures:

• Professors should give Archives staff notice prior to or at the beginning of the semester for which they would like to incorporate an Archives project into their class. Information must be provided to the Archives staff including the class name (if applicable), a description of the project, and the names of the students involved with the project.
• A schedule of specific dates and times will be agreed upon and strictly adhered to. If a definite schedule cannot be made, visits can be made on a day-by-day basis provided the professor gives notice at least two business days ahead of when they wish to use the Archives Reading Room. This will allow us time to pull items from Archives storage and to notify personnel to make the necessary accommodations.
• We will extend the availability of the Archives Reading Room to professors and students accompanied by a professor, even after business hours, by providing a key to the room, which will be kept at the Information Desk in advance of their prearranged arrival.
• Notice for the cancellation of any scheduled visits should be given as soon as it is known prior to the visit. This time can then be made available to other potential researchers.
• So long as the agreed upon schedule is faithfully adhered to, the project will receive preference over other researchers wishing to book time in the Archives Reading Room.
• We ask that any additional persons brought in on the project would always be accompanied by the professor, and that they would notify us when wishing to bring additional persons to work with our archival material.
• Due to limited space in the Archives Reading Room the project can involve no more than five persons per visit.
• Professors and students will each read and sign the Researcher Information Form and abide by the posted MBI Archives Rules.
• Depending on the nature of the project, special accommodations can be made, such as the use of the scanner in the Archives office by trained professors or students.

The purpose of the Crowell Library Archives is to collect and preserve archival materials which record the life and times of Dwight L. Moody (Moodyana), notable alumni and persons associated with Moody Bible Institute, and materials which illustrate the formation, organization, history and development of the Institute.

Collection of Archives Materials:

• We generally do not purchase items for the Archives unless those items are particularly significant to the collection (for example, a handwritten letter by D.L. Moody).
• The majority of materials added to the Archives collection come from donors outside the Institute or transfers from departments within the Institute.
• Materials to be accepted for the Archives collection include:
• D.L. Moody primary sources (letters, books, photographs, etc.)
• D.L. Moody secondary sources (books, theses, clippings, articles, anecdotes, etc.)
• MBI related items (presidents, trustees, professors, departments, alumni, class notes, course material, etc.)
• Moody coworkers and contemporaries (Emma Dryer, Ira D. Sankey, D.W. Whittle, Cyrus McCormick, C.H. Spurgeon, YMCA material, etc.)
• Historical contexts (Great Chicago Fire, religious controversies, etc.)
• Historically significant or rare books (for example, The Great Bible (1549 ed.) by Coverdale, 1784 Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)

Guiding Principles and Practices:

• Two to three copies of every item are kept when possible. In the case of multiple copies, two to three of the best items are kept. For rare or valuable items, more than three copies may be saved.
• We accept donations of materials for which we already have two to three copies for the purpose of swapping out materials in poor condition for materials in better condition or to save spares.
• All Chicago donations are to be approved by the Public Services Head Librarian or designee.
• The Library reserves the right to decide how the materials are displayed and housed, including the decision to donate, sell, or dispose of materials. Materials will not be returned to donors after donation.
• Donors receive a thank you letter and Deed of Gift form provided by the Archives.
• Administrative records transfers from all MBI departments to the Archives are encouraged and accepted. Transferring departments may choose to set access restrictions on their collection at the item level, section level, or on the collection as a whole; and restrictions may be set to individual persons, departments, or to anyone with permission from and designated by the transferring department. Transferred materials will not be returned to the transferring department but will always be accessible in the Archives.
• Transferring departments receive a Record of Transfer form provided by the Archives.

Processing and Preservation of Archives Materials:

• Newly acquired materials are processed once Deed of Gift or Record of Transfer forms are complete (or after a period of at least two months if the form is not returned).
• Preservation of materials includes rehousing in appropriate boxes or files when necessary, reorganization when necessary (and when it does not disrupt provenance), and creation of an index.
• The Archives Assistant will determine which indexing projects to work on based on collection significance unless directed otherwise by the Public Services Head Librarian.
• The significance of any new or current collection dictates the amount of time spent on processing and the level of detail for the index.
• High priority collections are those requested and used most frequently by researchers. These include:
• Dwight L. Moody Collection
• Moody Monthly magazines
• Biographical file drawers
• Photo file drawers
• MBI Education drawers
• MBI Education green boxes

Occasionally, researchers contact the Archives seeking information and materials but are unable to visit the Archives in person due to distance or schedule. They may request that documents and/or photos be copied or scanned and sent via mail or email. Due to the limited resources of the Archives staff, materials will be scanned and sent based on the following:

• The amount scanned of any copyrighted work does not exceed the amount allowed by copyright regulations.
• The amount scanned does not exceed 15 pages single-sided.
• Materials deemed to be too fragile will not be scanned/copied.
• Photos requested for publication will be scanned at a lower resolution and be watermarked with “Property of MBI Archives.” Once the Archives Publication Request form has been completed, the photo will be scanned at the requested resolution.
• Materials with unknown copyright will be scanned with a note/watermark stating that the materials “May be protected under copyright.” It is up to the researcher to determine each material’s copyright status if it is being used in publication.

• All visitors to the Crowell Library Archives must have either a Moody ID or a visitor ID obtained from any security desk on campus.
• Archives visiting and research hours are available during the Archives Assistant’s working hours, which are typically during weekday business hours. All research appointments should be made at least two days in advance.
• Some of the researchers who patronize the Archives come from great distances and at great expense. It is up to the discretion of the Archives staff if researchers will be allowed to stay past normal public hours or when staff is not readily available. If researchers make use of the historic room unaccompanied by Archives or Library staff, it is important to make sure the Archives office and Archives storage are locked in order to limit access to collections not already provided by staff.
• The Archives restricts access to materials in order to be in compliance with FERPA section 4:
  • “Release of a student’s confidential information is generally not done by the Moody Bible Institute without the express written consent of the student. Exceptions to this statement include “Directory Information” and where otherwise permitted by FERPA. “Directory Information” includes the following, which may be released without the student’s consent: name, date of birth, gender, marital status, phone information, photograph, dates of attendance, enrollment status (including current enrollment, full-time/part-time, withdrawn, discontinued), classification, degree major or program, degrees earned, honors and awards received, and graduation date.”
• The Archives restricts access to materials in order to maintain the integrity of restricted collections.
• The Archives restricts access to materials in order to protect fragile and/or valuable items and to ensure order is maintained in the collection.

The Archives houses recorded messages and sermons given by a range of speakers at Chapels, Founder’s Weeks, and other events at Moody Bible Institute. These messages have been recorded on different media types including cassette tape, VHS tape, CD, and DVD and are housed in Archives storage and extended Archives storage in the Library Storage space. The Archives Assistant will be the gatekeeper of these messages, ensuring protocol for circulation is followed:

• The patron must provide written permission from the speaker of the message.
• The Archives Assistant will view the written permission provided by the patron.
• A digital copy of the permission will be made by scanning, and the digital copy will be stored in the library's official files.
• The chapel message will be provided for the patron, who will check it out following standard procedures.
• When checked back in, the brown dot on the item cover will enable circulation desk assistants to route the message back to the Archives Assistant, who will then return the item to its assigned box in the Storage Room.

Before requesting a recording from the Library Archives, please check the Moody Audio archive online where the recording may be available and free to download.