Access to information about holdings in Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) is available through traditional and enhanced bibliographic tools and utilities, including catalog records, bibliographic guides and descriptions, digitized resources, archival collection guides, specialized printed resources, and other information. MASC promotes access to, and use of, its collections.

Expanded electronic access to MASC resources has expanded patron access to MASC’s collections and services. Expanded virtual access has correspondingly increased staff workloads for reference, reprographic, and the other services which are available both on-site and remotely.

MASC staff will make every reasonable effort to respond to patron requests in a timely manner. However, our ability to respond to queries is affected by the complexity (and/or quantity) of all reference questions, available staff resources, and a host of other factors.

For a variety of reasons, researchers should NOT expect MASC staff to provide:

• Evaluative or interpretive research, or information about collections (other than clarification or general information) beyond what is already available in the array of access resources and tools currently available for patron use.
• Specialized or extensive research in MASC's print collections or MASC's collections of primary source material, or specialized bibliographic database searches that patrons can do themselves utilizing the capabilities of the online library catalog.
• Automatic photocopying of all or major portions of manuscript collections or of any material (print or non-print) not in the public domain. Discretion about amounts of copying rests with appropriate professional staff, with the condition of particular materials the paramount consideration. Certain kinds of research will need to be done in person by the researcher or by their designee, on-site.
• Information about policies in other (non-WSU) repositories or about resources and policies in other departments at Washington State University (other than the Libraries).
• Instantaneous responses to reference queries, especially concerning requests for copies or reproductions involving particular publishing or broadcast projects.
  

Finally, researchers should not expect that MASC personnel will automatically be able to accommodate patrons' external deadlines.

Note: Researchers who need information about accommodations in Pullman, Washington, should consult the Pullman, Washington, Homepage at: http://www.pullman-wa.com