Collections Use Policy for Researchers and Publication

In-Person Use of the Collections
Access Restrictions
Publication Policy
Hart Nautical Plan Policy (PDF)
Reproductions for Publication and Research
Reproductions for Decorative Purposes

For information about image and use costs, see Services and Fees.

In-Person Use of the Collections

The Museum expects that all researchers, both in-house and visiting, who make use of collections will adhere to any legal or ethical restrictions on research imposed by the Museum or by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and that they will operate in accordance with the generally accepted ethical standards of the field in which they are working.

Research hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 5pm. Due to staffing limitations and the advance preparation necessary to provide access to most of the Museum's collections, appointments are required.

Research must be conducted under the direct supervision of a qualified collections staff member. Unsupervised use of the collections is not permitted. It is the responsibility of assigned collections staff to make researchers aware of regulations and to instruct them in the proper handling of objects. Researchers may use laptop computers in the reading room; however, the use of optical scanning equipment is not permitted. Museum computers, printers, network connections, and telephones are for staff use only.

All materials, except for reference publications located in the reading room area, must be retrieved and reshelved by staff. Collections staff may not be able to provide access to heavy or large objects, or objects stored in remote areas, during a research appointment if use of these objects was not requested in advance and additional qualified staff are not available for retrieval assistance at that time. If a researcher has requested a number of different collections objects or files, collections staff may limit the number of objects used at one time.

The Museum does not have a large reference staff for handling inquiries. Therefore, for non-MIT researchers, collections staff will provide up to one hour of research time without charge, subject to curatorial discretion, after which the researcher may pursue the inquiry in person or pay a research fee for a professional staff member to complete the research.

For current members of the faculty, staff, or student body of MIT, collections staff will take as much time as necessary, subject to curatorial discretion, to answer a reference inquiry. If it is anticipated that staff research of a reference inquiry will take longer to answer than Museum resources permit, arrangements will be made for the researcher to complete the work in person or pay the standard research fee for collections staff to complete the work.

Access Restrictions

Due to the fragile nature of most objects and their unique research value, general browsing of the Museum's collections is not allowed. The Museum does not make loans from its collections for research or publication purposes, except as specified in its loan policy.

Access to the following collections is restricted:

• Uncataloged collections will generally not be made available to researchers.
• Access to objects in very fragile condition will be granted at the discretion of the assigned curator.

The following collections management information is restricted and will only be provided to those individuals approved by the Director: names of donors, former owners, or lenders who wish to remain anonymous, mailing addresses and telephone numbers of all donors, former owners, and lenders, storage locations of objects, and object values, including purchase prices, appraisals, and insurance valuations.

In accordance with the policies of MIT's Alumni/ae Association, MIT Museum will not give out the address, phone number, or other contact information of living alumni/ae. Patrons researching this information should contact the Alumni/ae Association directly.

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Historical Collection is restricted to researchers approved by the Library/Technical Information Center at Draper Laboratory. Materials in this collection cannot be copied or otherwise reproduced without prior approval from Draper Laboratory.

Due to the technical requirements of viewing holograms, those not currently on exhibit are generally not made available, except by special arrangement.

Publication Policy

Written permission must be obtained from the Museum to use reproductions in any publication or product. The Museum will only grant reproduction permission for objects in which MIT is the copyright holder or for which there are no restrictions in terms of intellectual property rights. When copyright is not held by MIT, Museum staff will provide as much information as is available to aid the researcher in locating the copyright holder; however, collections staff cannot serve as an intermediary to obtain permission on behalf of the researcher.

A signed Permission to Use Agreement, Plans Use Agreement, or Permission to Build Agreement and paid permission fees are required prior to any publication or other use. For further information for boatbuilders see Hart Nautical Plan Policy (156KB). For the purposes of the Permission to Use Agreement, a single edition is defined as having a single physical format, a single date of production, and a single market. Any change in content constitutes a separate edition. Revised editions, foreign language editions, or other format changes, except for a paperback version of the original edition, will be subject to additional permission fees per format.

CD-ROMs and other multimedia applications produced by a popular press and sold in stores or made otherwise commercially available will be charged the same permission fee as text-based publications, subject to the same definition of editions. Any change in content constitutes a separate edition. Additional physical formats will be subject to additional permission fees per format.

One-time use in a television program or a motion picture film shall constitute a single broadcast or a single edition and format of a non-broadcast program. If a producer requests multiple usage (i.e., rebroadcast rights) for a single edition of the production, the permission fee is triple the one-time fee.

For online or World Wide Web display, the permission fee shall cover 12 months of display. Images may not be displayed at a resolution higher than 72 dpi. The Permission to Use Agreement must specify the duration of use. Requests to duplicate the Museum's World Wide Web site on CD-ROMs or other formats will not be granted because the site is a service provided by the Museum without charge and is subject to frequent changes.

Reproductions for Publication and Research

Most collections materials can be reproduced through Museum-approved vendors; however, because outside reproduction services are used, no guarantee can be made as to the quality of reproductions. The Museum reserves the right to refuse to reproduce brittle or otherwise fragile objects which could be damaged in the process. Photography of collections objects by researchers is only permitted under special arrangement with the assigned curator. Per MIT's policy on use of the Institute name, materials from the collections may not be used for advertisements or endorsements of any kind and any requests of this type will be referred to the News Office.

Reproductions for Decorative Purposes

MIT Museum acquires objects for its collections for the purposes of exhibition and scholarly research because they hold significant value as original artifacts which have a meaningful and important history worthy of long-term preservation. While photographic reproductions of most collections objects are made available for study/research purposes and for use in publications in accordance with published policies, a line of licensed reproductions for decorative display purposes is not currently available for purchase through the Museum Shop. In the absence of such a program, reproductions of Museum objects for decorative display purposes are available as follows:

Only those two-dimensional objects specified by the assigned curator may be reproduced for decorative display purposes. If an object does not appear in the Museum's catalog of items available for decorative display reproductions, it is generally not available for such purposes. All reproductions must be made through the Museum's specified vendor.

The Museum does not provide framing services nor will it arrange for the framing of reproductions on behalf of a patron. However, it should be noted that all photographic reproductions are light sensitive and will fade or discolor over time with exposure to ultraviolet light. Although it will not prevent fading, the Museum advises the use of UV-coated glass or Plexiglas to help protect the reproduction and suggests that reproductions not be placed in close proximity to fluorescent lights or in direct sunlight.