Part 1: Rules and Policies Governing the Use of Mayo Historical Holdings
Permission To Examine:
Permission to examine non-confidential materials may be required depending on the scope of the proposed project or the status of a researcher as a Mayo employee or non-Mayo employee. If required, researchers should submit a written request to the Mayo Historical Committee at the location where the materials are held. Such permission is further subject to any restrictions that may have been placed by donors or depositors.
All researchers/patrons must complete and sign the “Registration for Research” form which includes an Agreement to read, respect and abide by the “Rights, Rules, Policies and Conditions Relating to the Use of Historical Materials at the Mayo Clinic” before they will be allowed to use archival materials.
Research visits are by appointment only. Due to staffing issues, and the fact that some collections are stored off-site and require extra time to retrieve, visitors should allow 72 hours advance notice to ensure that their requested materials will be available for use.
Researchers must sign a Mayo Archives Daily Registration Log each time they use Center materials.
Protection of Materials:
Researchers are responsible for the safeguarding of any materials made available to them.
Food and beverages are not allowed in research areas.
Pens may not be used in research areas as ink can damage materials.
Researchers may take only paper, pencils and laptop computers into research areas.
Coats, backpacks, briefcases, and any other kinds of cases or carriers are not allowed in research areas.
Researchers should not mark, trace over, write on, fold, or otherwise handle materials in any manner that might alter their appearance or cause damage. The staff may require special handling procedures, depending on materials used.
Researchers may not remove materials from research areas for any purpose, or rearrange the order in which they are delivered.
Only one box and one folder of materials may be used at a time. After viewing materials in a folder, replace it in the box, preserving the existing folder order.
Keep the order of the materials intact inside each folder. Treat a folder like a book, turning one item over at a time, right to left.
Please do not remove any materials from their folders.
Copy Flags
Use the copy flags provided to designate to staff which items you wish to have copied.
please do not remove items for copying from their folders. The staff reserves the right to restrict some item(s) from copying based on size, condition or format of the item(s).
A fully-completed copy flag provides all of the elements needed to create footnote and bibliographic citations, e.g., collection number and name; box number; Subgroup, Series, etc.; folder number and title.
If researchers create digital copies using cell phones, cameras, personal scanners, etc., they should be able to identify the location of the copied item in a collection, e.g., collection number and name; box number; Subgroup, Series, etc.; folder number and title. The staff recommends completing a copy flag to include in the digital image.