Archives services

Visit us

Everyone is welcome to use the collections. Please book an appointment if you wish to visit.

Opening hours

Monday - Wednesday and Friday

• 09:00 - 13:00
• 14:00 - 17:00

Guidelines

Please read the Reader Guidelines which explains how to make an appointment and what to expect when you visit. Our Handling Guidelines outline the safest ways to consult archive material.

Before your visit please use the online catalogue to find the items you need and take note of the reference number and title of the items you are interested in. If you cannot locate records or have any question about using the catalogue please contact us.  When booking your appointment please tell us which records you wish to consult.

When visiting the Archive for the first time, please bring proof of identification. We will ask you to complete a registration form and issue your reader ticket. The items you have identified from the catalogue or through discussion with staff will be ready for you.

Material may only be consulted in the Archive and cannot be borrowed. 

Please note that some material may be closed if it contains personal or sensitive information or is too fragile to produce safely.

Research services

When you contact us by email, telephone or using our enquiry form, we will do our best to respond fully to your enquiry. If your enquiry requires research, we carry out the first half an hour free of charge.

At that stage we’ll let you know our findings and advise if further research is recommended. This is a chargeable service.

The current fee for research services is £22 per hour up to a maximum of 4 hours. Postage and reproduction costs are in addition to this research fee. To request this service please contact us. Please note the research service only applies to collections held by us.

You are of course welcome to visit the Archives searchroom to carry out your own research which is free of charge. Please contact us to make an appointment.

Copying service

We offer self-service photography, photocopying and scanning services.

Flash photography is not allowed under any circumstances and copying will only be undertaken in accordance with copyright legislation and preservation requirements.

Self-service photography

Visitors are welcome to use their own camera, tablet or mobile phone to take photographs

There is a daily fee of £10 for unlimited photography and this requires completion of an appropriate reprographic permission form which will be supplied. Copying must comply with copyright legislation.

There is no charge for students in full time education.

There is no charge for University of Dundee staff members.

Photocopying and scanning

We can photocopy or scan items, please contact us for charges. We aim to have photocopying and scanning requests completed within 10 working days. If a delay is likely, we’ll inform you when replying to your order request.

There is a minimum charge of £5 for copying where payment is by cheque or debit/credit card. Cash payment is only accepted if you visit the Archives searchroom.

Please note we do not have photographic printing facilities. Should you request an image, we can supply this in a digital format which you can then print out yourself.

Charges for commercial use vary in accordance with the nature of the publication or broadcast and the type of material used. Please email us for a quote.

Collecting policy

Archive Services welcome donations from a variety of sources as our collections continue to develop and grow.

Although we cannot accept everything we are offered, we’d be delighted to discuss potential donations.

Our Collecting Policy is a framework which informs the types of items we accept into our collections. Donations are then processed, catalogued, preserved for permanent preservation and made accessible to all.

Donations can range from a photograph or two up to many boxes of items of various formats. We also accept digital material.

If you have items you wish to donate to the University Archives, please contact us.