Caird Library Service Statement : The Library : Researchers : RMG

Caird Library Service Statement

Introduction

Library Rules and Conditions of Use | Copying from the Archive and Library collections for private research

The National Maritime Museum’s Caird Library aims to support and enhance the work of the Museum by making its research resources as accessible as possible. The Museum’s archive and library collections made available in the Caird Library consist of over two million items including modern and rare books, journals, manuscripts, pamphlets, ephemera, and charts and maps. The Caird Library also provides access to key aspects of the Museum’s prints and drawings collection. It also offers a number of electronic resources including dictionaries and encyclopedias, family history resources, journal archives, rare books and newspapers. The online catalogues are available through Collections Online.

The Library’s online catalogue is also available at www.rmg.co.uk/librarycatalogue, and the archive catalogue at www.rmg.co.uk/archivecatalogue.

Aims of the Service Statement

To provide a measurable policy statement, which informs readers of what service standards to expect in the Caird Library
To give full details of access arrangements to the Caird Library’s collections
To provide a description of the Caird Library’s services and facilities.

Legislative background

The Museum’s Caird Library service operates within the legislative framework of the National Maritime Museum Acts (1934, 1989); the Public Records Acts from 1958; all Copyright Acts in force; the Freedom of Information Act (2000); the Data Protection Act (1998); and the provisions of the Equality Act (2010) relating to access in public buildings.

Onsite access to the service

The Caird Library provides public access to the Museum’s key paper-based collections. It provides readers with facilities for research and reference in every aspect of maritime history, including the Royal Navy and merchant shipping, emigration, navigation, piracy and shipwrecks, as well as astronomy and horology.

Many of the resources are unique and the privilege of admission to the Caird Library is granted on the understanding that the Director or his senior representatives may suspend it at any time if the Museum’s conditions of use or library rules are infringed.

In addition, the Caird Library Reading Room provides access to digitized images of the sailing navy ship plans on a large format viewer (the original ship plans are available to view by appointment at one of the Museum’s outstations, contact plansandphotos@rmg.co.uk).

The Caird Library is situated on Floor One of the Sammy Ofer Wing. Access to the entrance of the Library is via the staircase at the east end of Voyagers Gallery, or via the lift in the Link Building, leading to the Neptune Court Galleries. There is an accessible toilet available to readers in the Caird Library at the far west end of the Reading Room. The main Museum toilets are near the foyer of the Sammy Ofer Wing on Floor One as indicated on the NMM visitor map.

Library Rules and Conditions of Use | Copying from the Archive and Library collections for private research

Admission to the Caird Library

Admission to the Library is by either a one day reader’s ticket or a three year reader’s ticket. By applying for a reader’s ticket, readers agree to abide by the Caird Library Rules and the Conditions of Use. To obtain a reader’s ticket, readers must create an account online at www.rmg.co.uk/aeon.

The one day ticket allows access to the Reading Room and to the electronic and printed resources held on open access shelves. The three year ticket allows access to the Reading Room and allows readers to request manuscripts, rare books, prints and drawings, maps and charts, and other collection items that are housed in the Archive Stores.

When readers arrive at the Caird Library reception desk (Floor One of the Sammy Ofer Wing), they will need to bring identification. For a one day ticket, one form of identification bearing the reader’s signature is needed (a passport, driving licence, or bank / credit card etc.). For a three year ticket, two forms of identification are required. These are:

One piece of identification bearing your signature (a passport, driving licence, or bank / credit card etc.) and
One proof of address (utility bill, council tax bill, credit card statement etc.).

A full list of all acceptable forms of identification is available at Aeon. We can only accept originals, not copies, of your identification. We do not accept internet print-offs of bank statements or bills. For a three year ticket, we will also take your photograph.

For more information on what to bring on the first visit to the Library, see Your first visit to the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum.

The minimum age to use the Library Reading Room is 14 years; persons aged 8–14 may be admitted if accompanied by an adult, one adult per child. Persons aged 14–16 can apply for a one day reader’s ticket and access modern collections in the Reading Room only. For persons aged 16–18 who wish to apply for a three year reader’s ticket, we accept a letter from a Head Teacher or College Principal as a form of identification.

Staff in the Caird Library can help all visitors to the NMM with enquiries about the archive and library collections, including family history research, and provide help accessing the electronic resources available on the PCs situated in the Reading Room.

Accessible Reading Room facilities

The Caird Library aims to provide a physically accessible space for quiet study and research. Accessible Reading Room facilities include:

Induction loop at reception desk
Public PCs, with adjustable internet browser accessibility settings
Mice are available for use with the public PCs, for those readers who prefer a separate mouse rather than one integral to the keyboard
Digital microfilm scanner (ScanPro2000), which has magnifier and zoom controls to view an enlarged area of the displayed image; this area can be printed
Book2net kiosk, a self-service scanner, which has touch-screen, zoom control to view the area to be copied
Height-adjustable chairs
Adjustable map table for viewing prints and drawings, and maps and charts
Large format ship plan viewer, with touch screen to enlarge images and view details
Magnifying glasses: there are a limited number available to borrow in the Reading Room
Sheet magnifiers: there are a limited number available to borrow in the Reading Room
Accessible toilet
Six disabled parking spaces which can be booked in advance and special arrangements made for dropping visitors off outside the main Museum entrance.

Opening hours

The Library will be open for research purposes for a minimum of 40 hours per week, excluding planned closures such as for audit work (usually one week per year) and national bank holidays e.g. Christmas and Easter periods.

Opening hours are Monday–Saturday 10.00–16.45 (Thursdays 10.00–19.45).

Opening hours are advertised on the Museum’s website and in relevant publications and websites. Any changes to the opening hours will be advertised on the Museum’s website and on other relevant websites and publications e.g. Newsletter of the Society for Nautical Research.

Please note that from 14 July 2011 the Caird Library will be open Tuesday to Thursday from 10.00–16.45. It will provide access to printed items on open access including 6,000 key modern books, reference resources such as Lloyd’s Register of Shipping and electronic resources. The full Library service will resume in late 2011 when access to all the collections (archives, modern and rare books, journals, pamphlets, ephemera, charts and maps, prints and drawings) will be available. Written and telephone enquiries and the remote reprographic service will also resume from this time.

The opening hours of the Library from late 2011 will be Monday– Saturday 10.00–16.45 (late night Thursday until 19.45).

Copying from the Archive and Library collections

The Museum is committed to making the Archive and Library collections available for current use and enjoyment, whilst balancing this with the responsibility for preserving its collections for future generations. The Caird Library provides a range of copying services for the purposes of private study or research; these include a self-service scanner, a photocopier, microfilm readers / printers and camera stands for those using their own camera. Payment cards are available in the Reading Room in denominations of £1.50 and £6. For copying charges see Archive and Library Copying Charges.

There is also a remote copying service allowing readers, both onsite and remote, to place orders for digital copies of rare books and manuscripts. Full details of the copying service is available in the document Copying from the Archive and Library Collections for Private Study and non-Commercial Research.

All copying is at the discretion of staff and is also subject to the Data Protection Act (1998) and document handling restrictions. It is the responsibility of the Reader to ensure that their copying does not infringe copyright law.

Library Rules and Conditions of Use | Copying from the Archive and Library collections for private research

Remote access and the application of ICT

The Museum recognises that the development of digital access is vital in the delivery of the Caird Library service, ensuring that the collections are increasingly accessible worldwide. Recent improvements to remote access include:

Researchers’ page on Museum’s website brings together content aimed at visiting academic and non-specialist researchers
Online catalogues to all archive and library collections (library, archive, charts and maps, prints and drawings) are regularly enhanced and added to (including converting paper catalogues to online catalogue); many catalogue records, especially charts and maps, have images attached in Collections Online
Cataloguing of the archive and library collections is carried out to international standards including ISAD (G), MARC and AACR2; we continue to enhance catalogue records and contribute to union catalogues such as OCLC’s Worldcat and Copac.
Subscription-based electronic resources are continually added to and are available onsite at the Museum to library readers and Museum visitors
Our new online ordering system, Aeon, gives quicker, enhanced access to Archive and Library collections. A personal online account gives readers a complete history of the items they have looked at in the Caird Library.
In late 2011, once full access to the Archive and Library collections is restored, a remote reprographic ordering service will also be available via Aeon.
The Caird Library blog increases web visibility of the Archive and Library collections and provides an important tool for communication with users
Caird Library ‘Item of the Month’ provides further access to the collections, giving visitors a taster of variety of items in the collections
Developments to digitise frequently consulted archives, including masters certificates and crew lists
Free public Wi-Fi is available for library readers and museum visitors.

Electronic resources at the Library

The Caird Library provides free access to a range of electronic resources, including online bibliographic and image databases, electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias, family history online resources, and full texts of journals, rare books and newspapers.

They are all available free of charge from the Library and via Wi-Fi within the Museum buildings, but readers will not be able to access them from home or outside of the museum buildings due to copyright or licensing restrictions. For current list of titles, see 'Electronic Resources'.

Before using these resources, readers must agree to abide by the terms and conditions of use of electronic resources.

Enquiries

The Caird Library is committed to helping readers and the public who have enquiries about the Archive and Library collections. These may be answered face-to-face in the Caird Library, or by telephone, letter, email or fax.

Treasury requires the Museum to charge for research services at a level that provides for full cost recovery.

The Museum’s charges for research are:

The first 15 minutes is free of charge
The first hour or part thereof is £60
For every subsequent 15 minutes or part thereof is £15

When individuals request research to be carried out for their own private (i.e. noncommercial) research or study, the initial hour’s charge of £60 is reduced to £25. All charges are inclusive of VAT. Individuals will be told how much the charge will be before any research is undertaken.

The Caird Library is unable to answer enquiries requiring extensive research. In such cases, we send a referral letter with details of how to access the Archive and Library’s collections remotely, other relevant web-based resources, and a list of Independent Researchers who are available for commission if people are unable to attend and carry out their own research.

All enquiries are responded to within 20 working days for written enquiries and email enquiries.

Monitoring

The Library will ensure it is meeting the needs of its users by examining annual data and analysing its impact by measuring and/or recording:

Use of collections – number of requests/items retrieved (via Aeon)
Number of loans of collections
Number of readers
Number of enquiries
Cataloguing targets (DCMS target for online records)
Research returns

Reader satisfaction

The Library monitors its performance by means of:

Reader surveys
Museum-wide market research survey
Reader comment cards
Comments on the Library blog
Suggestions for acquisition of new books.

Impact

The Library monitors its impact by recording:

Role of collections in creation of published works, such as references to archival collections e.g. Sustaining the Fleet, 1793–1815: War, the British Navy and the Contractor State / Roger Knight and Martin Wilcox. Boydell, 2010.
Role of collections as source of republication of earlier works, such as the republishing of rare journals in the Library collections e.g. Naval Chronicle, published by CUP, 2010, and the Caird Reprints series (reprints of rare books from the Caird Library) 2008–2010.

Staffing

The commitment and knowledge base of professional staff will help to ensure the research resources of the Archive and Library are made as accessible as possible.

Staff are trained to deal with all kinds of research enquiries and assist with access and interpretation of the collections where possible. Staff contribute to the Museum’s formal and informal learning sessions, including regular ‘Archive Journey’ sessions, open to all visitors to the Museum.

Caird Library Rules and Conditions of Use

Signing up to use the Caird Library

Admission to the Library is by a personal three year reader’s ticket or a one day reader’s ticket. The three year reader’s ticket allows access to all of the Archive and Library collections; the one day reader’s ticket gives access to the modern books, reference material, electronic resources and microfilm held in the Reading Room only, and not to collection material.
Readers must show their reader’s ticket to Library staff on the reception desk as they enter the Library. They must also produce their ticket on request by Library staff in the Reading Room.
By applying for either reader’s ticket, readers agree to abide by the Caird Library Rules and Conditions of Use. If any reader does not abide by these, the Museum has the right to cancel his or her reader’s ticket and refuse future admission.
The minimum age to use the Library Reading Room is 14 years; persons aged 8–14 may be admitted if supervised by an adult, one adult per child. Persons aged 14–16 can only access modern collections in the Reading Room.
To obtain a reader’s ticket, readers must register online at Aeon. This can be done online before a reader visits the Library, or in the reception area of the Library on the day of the reader’s visit. Formal identification is required to register for a three year reader’s ticket, giving proof of the reader’s name and address e.g. driver’s licence and proof of the reader’s signature e.g. passport. Proof of name and signature is also required for a one day reader’s ticket. Find a full list of acceptable formal identification documents on Aeon.
All reader’s tickets are non-transferable. Only one current reader’s ticket may be issued per person and lost or stolen tickets must be reported to the Library immediately. There may be a charge to replace lost or stolen tickets. Readers are responsible for any use of a reader’s ticket issued to them unless and until they have reported it lost or stolen.
On entering the Library readers must deposit all bags, coats, umbrellas, newspapers, laptop cases, camera cases, food, drink and bottles of water in the lockers provided near the reception desk. Readers should only retain such paper items and other equipment needed for their work in the Reading Room. Transparent bags issued at the reception desk should be used to carry paper items and equipment into the Reading Room. Readers may be required to submit for inspection any bags, cases, folders or other objects that they may be carrying.
All readers must scan their 3 year reader’s ticket at the reception desk on entering the Library. This is not required for day ticket holders.

Behaviour expected in the Caird Library

Readers must at all times show due consideration and respect to Library staff and other readers. Behaviour considered abusive or constituting harassment will result in exclusion or removal from the Library, with future admission refused.
Readers must follow all directions given by staff with respect to the following health and safety procedures, including fire evacuation and drills.
Hushed conversation is permitted in the Group Study area. Quiet should be maintained in the Quiet Study area.
Readers must not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum or use mobile phones to make or take calls in the Library.
Sound settings of laptops should either be turned off or reduced to a level that does not disturb other readers. Headphones for listening to personal music systems inaudibly is allowed, at staff discretion, in the Group Study area, but not in the Quiet Study area.

Requesting items to view in the Caird Library

Readers are required to register online in order to use the Archive and Library online request and tracking system (Aeon) via the online catalogues. The online request system should be used to request all collection items a reader wishes to see, except modern books, reference material and microfilm on open access within the Library itself. Prints and drawings and charts and maps should also be
requested using Aeon.
Collection items can be requested between two weeks and 12 hours prior to a reader’s visit to the Library or requested when the reader is onsite. The latest request time is 15.30 to view items for the following day.
Up to three items can be requested ahead of the reader’s visit.
There are five retrieval times throughout the day. Up to three items can be requested per retrieval based on a rolling limit; readers may request and see up to 18 items in one day.
Only one collection item (manuscript folder or box, or rare book, or atlas) with one modern book can be consulted in the Reading Room at any time.
Delivery times for the majority of the Archive and Library collections stored onsite is 45 minutes. Readers will be informed via the online request and tracking system if for whatever reason this delivery time cannot be met, or if the item is unavailable to view.
Oversize items such as charts and maps, and prints and drawings, will require longer delivery times. For items that have been pre-ordered, a maximum of 20 items can be consulted in one day in batches of 5 items at a time.
For charts and maps, and prints and drawings, on the day requests will be met if they can be accommodated, but generally the collections are available by appointment and require 3 days’ notice. This is to allow time for staff to retrieve drawings from several boxes or drawers, and to arrange for supervision. Readers will be informed of the approximate delivery time when they place their request (either by using the online request system to request charts and maps or prints and drawings).
If the item is stored offsite, the online request and tracking system will notify the reader that 7 working days’ notice is required. Readers will be asked to confirm which day they want to come back to the Library to see the item.
When readers collect their requested items from the Issue desk, the request slip will be scanned to record that a reader now has the item. Readers will be reminded to return material to the Issue desk if they are going to be absent from their desk for more than 30 minutes.
When a reader has finished with the item and returned it to the Issue Desk, the item will be scanned to indicate it has been returned to the store. Items will be available to see by the same reader the following day if the item is requested again for the following day.
Before leaving the Library at the end of the readers’ visit, readers must return all Museum material they have been using to the member of staff at the Issue desk.
No collection material may be removed from the Library.

Using and handling collections in the Caird Library

Readers must abide by the handling guidelines on laminated sheets in the Library.
Items delivered in archive boxes or folders must be replaced in the same order as received.
Only pencils may be used when in the Library. Pencils can be purchased from the Museum shop or can be borrowed from the Library.
Some material may be subject to restricted access for legal or conservation reasons. In these cases, please refer to the Head of Archive and Library, or her deputy.
Some material may have undergone conservation treatment in the past eg. for mould, please follow the advice on handling given by staff.
Readers may not mark, write, lean on, fold or in any other way damage the material they are consulting. If readers observe an existing defect in, or damage to an item, they are requested to bring it to the attention of the staff on duty.

Copying in the Caird Library

The use of cameras and copying equipment is only allowed as specified in Copying from the Archive and Library for private study and non-commercial research, and at the Library desk.
Modern books may be photocopied or scanned, and rare books and manuscripts scanned only for private study and research purposes, subject to copyright laws, preservation requirements and consent of the Head of Archive and Library.
Charts and maps and prints and drawings cannot be photocopied or scanned, but can be photographed by the reader as specified in Copying from the Archive and Library for private study and non-commercial research, and at the Library desk.
Readers intending to obtain copies of items for publication purposes or reproduction in any media, must observe copyright laws. There may be a charge involved. Information should be sought from the Picture Library and written permission obtained from the Head of Archive and Library or her deputy.

Our commitment to readers

If our service levels do not meet your expectations, please let us know via our comments card system or by email to library@rmg.co.uk, or directly to any member of staff. Constructive feedback is vital to us in maintaining and improving our standards.

July 2011

Copying from the Archive and Library collections for private study and non-commercial research

The National Maritime Museum is committed to making its Archive and Library collections available for current use and enjoyment, whilst balancing this with the responsibility for preserving its collections for future generations.

Please see our copying charge schedule. All copying is at the discretion of staff and is also subject to the Data Protection Act 1998 and document handling restrictions. It is the responsibility of the Reader to ensure that their copying does not infringe copyright law.

Copying methods allowed

Readers may obtain copies of many of the Archive and Library collections through the following methods:

Professional digital imaging – by Archive and Library staff only (remote service only)
Digital imaging – by Reader under staff supervision
Photocopying – by Reader under staff supervision
Photography – by Reader under staff supervision
Printing from microfilm scanners – by Reader under staff supervision
Professional photography – by the NMM Photo Studio

Copying methods not allowed

Camcorders
Hand-held scanning devices of any type
Items that cannot be copied by any method
Some items in our collections cannot be copied by any method. These include:

Manuscript material on loan to the Museum (with the exception of collections on loan from P&O)
Information subject to the Data Protection Act (1998)
‘Original’ photographic prints, or those prints for which no negative is held by the Museum
Fragile and/or damaged items
Scrapbooks and albums
Photocopies
Ephemera
Sheet music

Copying methods

Professional digital imaging – Remote service provided by Archive and Library staff only

The Library’s remote professional digital imaging service will resume from late 2011, once all the collections have been moved into the Sammy Ofer Wing.

From late 2011 readers can order digital images of collection items, or prints from those digital images, for the purposes of non-commercial research and private study, via Aeon. To create an Aeon user account, go to Aeon, then click on ‘Reprographic request’ once your account has been created. See our copying charges schedule for charges.

Readers may order up to 100 digital images from our collections per calendar month.

For orders between 1 and 75 scans, these can be dispatched as either digital images on a CD or as print outs of the digital images on paper. For orders of 76–100 scans, we can only supply digital images on CD. We cannot accept orders for over 100 scans.

To order digital images please go to your Aeon account, then click on ‘Reprographic request.’ Payment by credit or debit card is preferred, using SagePay. We prefer electronic payment, but payment by other methods can be accepted upon request, by emailing aeon@rmg.co.uk. Please note that payment by non-electronic methods may result in a slight delay to the dispatching of your request.

Your order will be dispatched within 10 working days of us receiving your payment.

Large scanning orders may require more than 10 working days to process and we will notify you if this is the case. We regret that we cannot provide this as an on demand, day of visit service for readers in the Caird Library.

We can offer research-quality digital images of the following:

Rare printed books, pamphlets, journals, periodicals (pre–1850)
Manuscript collection items, including Masters’ Certificates, Crew Agreements
and Lloyd’s Survey Reports
Frequently used reference material – e.g. Lloyds Registers, Lloyd’s List, Navy List, Merchant Navy List, Illustrated London News, Naval Chronicle
Charts and maps (dependent on size)
Multiple fold-out plates from books

Digital imaging – by Reader under Staff supervision

Readers may use the self-service scanner to copy items from the NMM archive and library collections, subject to document preservation restrictions.

Please note the following: Users must follow the NMM’s ‘Copying from the Archive and Library’s collections for private study and non-commercial research’.

Copies made are only either for:

Research or private study (neither of which may be for a commercial purpose) or
Criticism, review and news reporting
Users who wish to copy copyright works (other than Crown Copyright) must first:

seek permission from the copyright holder

Unless it is impractical, the source of all copies must be acknowledged

You should only make and hold a single copy at any one time. If you print or transfer the image then you must delete the original image. For further use or reproduction of copies, for purposes other than those listed above, users must have prior written permission from the National Maritime Museum Picture Library (and a third party copyright holder where applicable).

The following items cannot be copied using the scanner:

Manuscript material on loan to the Museum (with the exception of collections on loan from P&O)
Fragile or damaged items
Maps and charts
Prints and drawings
Items too large to fit on the scanner (larger than A3)
Information subject to the Data Protection Act (1998)
Original photographic prints or those prints for which no negative is held by the Museum

Readers must accept the copyright regulations for using the digital scanner.

Photocopying by Reader

There is a charge for this facility, please see Archive and Library Copying Charges.

Items that can be photocopied:

Printed books, pamphlets, journals, periodicals (post–1850)
Single sheet ‘fold-outs’ with only one fold (excluding ship plans)
Photographic prints made from Museum negatives
Items that cannot be photocopied
Rare printed books, pamphlets, journals, periodicals (pre–1850)
Manuscript collection items, including Masters’ Certificates, Crew Agreements and Lloyd’s Survey Reports and printed books and journals held as part of the manuscript collections
Frequently used reference material – e.g. Lloyds Registers, Lloyd’s List, Navy List, Merchant Navy List, Illustrated London News, Naval Chronicle
Items too large to fit on the photocopier plate
Charts and maps
Prints and drawings
Multiple fold-out plates from books
Ship plans

Photography – by Reader under Staff supervision

Readers may also use their own non-flash cameras or mobile phone cameras to photograph items. There are restrictions on photographing some items.

Items that cannot be photographed:

Ship plans (including those displayed on Ship Plan Viewer)

All photography is under staff supervision in a designated area, using document support aids where appropriate. We regret that the use of camera tripods is not permitted, but we provide camera stands for users, available on a first come, first served basis. Digital cameras and mobile phone cameras must be set to ‘silent’ and to ‘still photography’ mode. Flash photography is not permitted. Mobile phones cannot be used to take calls in the Reading Room but can be used for text messaging, in silent mode. A self-service photography copyright declaration form must be completed and signed.

Printing from microfilm scanners – by Reader under Staff supervision

Readers may use the microfilm reader scanners (Genus ScanPro2000) to take prints of material on microfilm. The microfilm reader scanners are located in the Reprographic area of the Caird Library. Instructions on how to use the microfilm reader scanner is available in the Caird Library or ask staff for guidance.

Professional photography

For commercial reproductions, or where it is not possible for Readers to make or be supplied with a copy of an item, the National Maritime Museum Photo Studio may be able to photograph the item/s.

All professional photography is handled by the National Maritime Museum’s Picture Library.

July 2011