1. What is the Archival Facility?
The Libraries Archival Facility is an off-site facility, opened in 2003, that currently houses an estimated 680,000 volumes, 135 microfilm cabinets and a collection of 19
th century newspapers. In addition, the Archival Facility houses the University Records. The interior is climate controlled with temperature and humidity regulation in order to provide the best environment for these items.
2. Can I go to the Archival Facility?
The Libraries Archival Facility is a closed facility and is not open to the public. If a large number of items are needed, we are equipped to set up a book cart for you at any of the Libraries circulation desks. In extreme specialized circumstances, arrangements may be made for you to visit the Archival Facility.
3. Is there a staff member at the Archival Facility all day?
Yes. There are currently 2 staff and 1 librarian located in the Archival Facility all day.
4. What types of books are at the Archival Facility?
There are several qualifications that can get a book sent to the Archival Facility. Most items are books that have not circulated in some time, but there are a few items that are there for preservation purposes. Also, journals titles that are available electronically have been moved to the Archival Facility.
5. How can I get books from the Archival Facility?
All items are available by request through the Libraries catalog. Click on the
Holds/Recalls/Requests on the right of the page.
6. Are journal articles delivered electronically from the Archival Facility?
Yes, journal articles are now delivered electronically. If you want a journal article, select
Archival Facility-Request printed materials. Enter the citation information into the appropriate field. If you don’t have a complete citation, enter as much as you have and put N/A in any field unfilled in. Be sure to reenter you CWID and provide a valid email address.
7. How many books can I request from the Archival Facility?
Undergraduates can have 5 (five) active requests. Graduates can have 10. Faculty can have 25 active requests. As soon as a request is filled more items can be requested.
8. Why is there a limit?
We do this for several reasons. The primary reason is the space constraints we have at the circulation desk which is also home for Interlibrary Loan, holds, recalls, and reserve items. Also we limit the requests because often there are several people in a class asking for the same items. This limits someone from claiming all items that others might need. It is, however still on a first come first serve basis.
9. How soon will I get my requests?
| Item Type | Requested By | Will Receive By |
|---|
| Physical Items | before 10:00am | 11:00am same day |
| Physical Items | 10:00am-2:00pm | 3:00pm same day |
| Electronic Items | 7:45am-1:30pm | 5:00pm same day |
| Electronic Items | after 1:30pm | noon the following day |
All
physical items requested before 10:00 am will be received by 11:00am that same day. All items requested before 2:00 pm will be received by 3:00 pm the same day. All electronic (articles) items requested between 7:45am and 1:30pm will be sent by 5:00pm the same day. Requests made after 1:30pm will be sent by noon the following day. The Archival Facility does not operate on weekends or on official university holidays. All items requested during these times will be filled the following business day. Note: These are the general rules we try to live by, however there are rare occasions when items will be delayed. Items not picked up within 10 days will be returned to the Archival Facility.
10. Will someone contact me when my request is available?
Yes. An email (for Graduates and Undergraduates) is automatically generated when the item is placed on Hold. A printed letter is generated for Faculty and mailed the next business day.
11. What happens if there is a problem with my request?
Generally, due to the amount of requests we receive, you will be notified through your Bamamail email account if there is a problem. If there is no valid email address, we will make every effort to contact you via the telephone. If we are unable to at least leave a message and you have other requests that we were able to fill we will attach a notice to those items detailing the problems with your other request. If there is a problem with an electronic delivery request, someone at the Libraries Archival Facility will correspond with you using the email address you provided in the request form. The email will be from “librariesannex” not a particular person. We will make every effort to fulfill these requests.
12. What type of problems am I likely to run into with my requests?
This is no easy question to pin point. However, there are several categories in which most unfilled requests fall. Many requests are for items that are not housed in the Archival Facility. Electronic delivery requests may be denied because: the article is available electronically in one of our databases, the condition of the print is such that scanning would further damage the volume, the way the piece was bound we cannot get a “clean” copy, the physical piece is too large for our scanner.
13. How can I tell what is available from the Archival Facility?
The best way to identify items that are in the Archival Facility is through the Libraries catalog. The location indicates which library an item is in. Look for the location of “Archival Facility”. Any other location is in an on-campus library. If a title has multiple volumes, please view the “Library Has” line to make sure the volume you are seeking is available. In this example the coverage is spotty with only 1979, 1990-1993 and 1995 available.
- Location:
- Archival Facility (use Holds/Recalls/Requests button for retrieval)
- Call Number:
- BF173.A2 S66x
- Number of Items:
- 10
- Status:
- c.1 (1994) Missing – 08-10-2015
- Library has:
- 1979,
- v.50-58(1990-1995)
- Indexes:
- 1941-1979
14. I’m not sure what I need. Can you help?
The best places to find information about any given subject are the Information Desks, which are located in each of the branch libraries. The extremely helpful individuals in these departments can help you to find suitable items for your research and can also help you in making the requests. If you are still unsure or the Information Desk is unavailable for you (i.e. after the library is closed, or if you are off campus), but at least know the series the item you need is in you can still place a request. There is an option when placing a request that allows you to enter your own information, and there is also a comment section for you to add any additional information you might have (note: Do not enter text that wraps the information. Even though it appears in the box it does not show up in the request. If you have to, use hard return.). If we cannot fill the request or need more information we will attempt to contact you.
15. How can I talk to someone at the Archival Facility?
The best way to talk to someone at the Archival Facility is via email. This allows us to track specialized requests. Email:
librariesannex@ua.edu If you do not have access to the internet then the Archival Facility can be reached by phone at 348-1933 (voicemail) or 348-3669 (no voicemail).