St Andrews University Library Special Collections Commercial Activities

Publications

Introduction

The Special Collections Department is in the process of developing a portfolio of commercial activities, designed to exploit the revenue-earning potential of the historic material in our care, in order to support and enhance both our curatorial responsibilities and our services to the academic and wider communities.

We take great care to ensure that these commercial activities do not in any way inhibit or limit the access to the collections or services to academic or private researchers. We regard it as important, however, that those who wish to use our material for commercial gain should assist us in maintaining the collections for the benefit of all.

Publications

Services

The commercial services currently offered relate mainly to the provision of copy-images (primarily although not exclusively) from the photographic collections for a wide variety of purposes - including publication, product design, interior design, and marketing. We intend also to introduce a range of product-lines using images and other material in collaboration with companies and agencies who are already expert in marketing the relevant material.

We hope in the future also to undertake selective commercial publication from the collections and to offer a series of research services (for example for family history research). As these services develop, we will provide details on this website.

Publications

Further information

Details of services currently available are given on the related pages. If, however, you require further information about any of these services please contact the members of staff who are listed. We welcome approaches from individuals or companies who wish to enquire about commercial ventures of any sort relevant to our collections. In the first instance, you should contact Dr Norman Reid, Head of Special Collections.

Publications

Photographic images

We are happy to provide copies of images held in the photographic collection (with the exception of any photographs which are held either without copyright or under other restrictions imposed by the donor or photographer). Photographs thus provided for purely personal or research purposes are not subject to any fee beyond the photographic costs. A scale of charges is given below.

We can provide true photographic reprints of most images, or computer-generated prints of an increasing proportion of the collection at low, medium or high resolution. Given the fragility of the original material our preference is to provide computer prints where possible. We can also provide transparencies and a range of electronic formats.

Photographic Costs:

N.B. The charges for supply of photographic images are currently under review, and a revised price list will be mounted on this web page as soon as possible. In the meantime, please contact the department for up-to-date information.

Reproduction Fees

The prices quoted above are for the supply of prints only. Any form of further reproduction must be the subject of specific written permission and may, at the discretion of the Head of Special Collections, incur reproduction fees, which are negotiated on a case-by case basis. All requests for reproduction of a commercial nature will incur such fees. Permission must be sought for reproduction rights and the fees agreed before any reproduction or commitment to reproduction in any form (eg. mechanical or electronic) - takes place. For further details please contact Dr Norman Reid, Head of Special Collections.

Access

For details of how to access and search the photographic collections please refer to the Photographic Collections page.

The photographic collections are currently the subject of a major digitisation project. It is the intention to have the entire archive captured in electronic form, and available (with sophisticated searching facilities) on screen to researchers in St Andrews and elsewhere. A web interface is now available online. More detailed descriptions of each of the major collections, as well as search access to all of the photographs, will gradually become available as the digitisation project proceeds.

It is intended to add an on-line ordering system to the photographic web-site, but this is not yet available. All orders for items found on the web-site should therefore be submitted in writing or by email.

Publications

Images from printed books and manuscripts

The supply of images from rare and early printed books can be arranged in a way very similar to the photographic collections, subject to the restrictions imposed by copyright, donor restrictions, and physical fragility. Although there is currently no easy means of remotely browsing the collections to find relevant images, we welcome enquiries relating to obtaining copies of items which have been seen in the collections, and will be happy to offer advice and assistance to enquirers who seek images of a particular type or relating to identified subjects or themes.

Enquiries should be made to Mrs Elizabeth Henderson, Keeper of Rare Books, for enquiries relating to printed material, or Mrs Rachel Hart, University Archivist, for enquiries relating to manuscripts.

Fees

Fees both for the supply of prints and for reproduction of printed and manuscript material are subject to individual quotation. For further general information on fees, see the Commercial Activities Introduction, and the Photographic Prints section.

It should be noted that no reproduction (eg mechanical or electronic) may be undertaken of material from the printed or manuscript collections without specific prior written permission.

Publications

Copying of printed material and manuscripts

Researchers are not permitted to make personal copies of rare books or manuscripts.

We do, however, offer a digital copying service for material from printed books and manuscripts which is required for academic purposes. All copying is undertaken at the discretion of the Head of Special Collections or the Keeper of Rare Books, and is subject to the restrictions imposed by copyright, donor restrictions, and physical condition.

Fees

Our current charges for standard black and white copying are 30p per page (A4 or A3), plus reasonable carriage and VAT as appropriate. Special arrangements may be made, however, for St Andrews students and staff.

For further information please contact Mrs Elizabeth Henderson, Keeper of Rare Books, for enquiries relating to printed material, or Mrs Rachel Hart, University Archivist, for enquiries relating to manuscripts.

Publications

Research

We are regularly asked to undertake research on the collections on behalf of enquirers who are unable to come to St Andrews in person. Unfortunately, due to our limited staff resources, we are currently unable to offer more than very cursory research of this nature.

If it seems to us, however, that there is potential for further research, we will frequently either suggest the name of a local commercial researcher known to us, or will offer to engage a University postgraduate to undertake the research on a paid basis.

In time, we hope to be able to develop a research service based on a standard fee basis, and when available, such a service will be advertised on this page.

For further information relating to paid research, please contact Dr Norman Reid, Head of Special Collections.

Publications

The department offers for sale a range of publications - books, pamphlets, greetings cards and prints. A full catalogue of these items will be prepared for this page in due course. Until the catalogue is available, for further details please contact the Special Collection enquiries phone number.