The Kislak Center and the Library at the Katz Center provide digital scanning services for collection material. All reprographic requests will be assessed by staff before processing the order. Staff may turn down requests depending on an item's physical condition, copyright laws, or other restrictions on use.
Accessing the Kislak Center Collections
The Kislak Center's Charles K. MacDonald Reading Room is open by appointment to all researchers. Appointments are available on weekdays between the hours of 10am-4pm and must be made 24 hours in advance by emailing kislak@pobox.upenn.edu.
When entering the Library, Penn-affiliated visitors must show a Green Penn Open Pass. Visitors from outside the Penn community must complete a COVID-19 screening through PennOpen Campus (learn how it works). The University requests that visitors not come physically to campus if they feel ill, have been exposed to a case of COVID-19, or if they are not up-to-date with their vaccinations.
To support remote access to our collections, we offer increased reprographic services. Users may request on-demand digitization of special collections material for up to 100 pages for free, depending on the condition of the material and any copyright restrictions. Requests can be submitted via the Special Collections Research Account form. For more information, please contact: kislak@pobox.upenn.edu.
Placing an Order
To submit a reprographic order, create or log into your Special Collections Research Account. After logging in, click on New Reprographic Order and search our online catalog, Franklin, or our online finding aids to find the item you wish to copy. Then complete the online "New Reprographic Order" form with as much detail as possible. Clearly identify the pages being requested and include a detailed description of your request.
If you are submitting a request from the reading room, please confirm the request with reading room staff, who will consult in turn with the appropriate staff. Special arrangements may be made as needed, such as for requests requiring specific scan resolutions, file formats, or delivery methods.
If you are submitting a request from another location, your request will be sent to our staff who will record the progress of the request in your Special Collections Research Account. For questions about reprographic orders, please email kislak@pobox.upenn.edu.
Turnaround time
All reprographic requests are processed in the order they are received. Turnaround times vary based on page length, material format, and demand, but patrons can expect orders to be completed within three to five weeks.
Pricing
Patrons will receive an invoice for each order. Before the order can be completed, patrons must approve the amount being charged and remit payment.
Fees for Photocopies. Fees for photocopies are $0.35 per page, regardless of paper size. Photocopy orders for less than 100 pages will include a $5.00 service charge; orders exceeding 100 pages will include a $10.00 service charge.
Fees for Digital Scans. Our standard resolution for scanning materials is 600 dpi in TIF or JPEG formats. Individual scans are $1.00 per scan, regardless of resolution and file format. Complete works (entire books or collections of manuscripts) are $0.50 per page. Each scan order will include a $5.00 service charge for non-PennCard holders. PennCard holders are exempt from service fees.
Payment
All payments must be made by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) through our online system.
Tax-Exempt Form
Patrons paying with the credit card of a tax-exempt institution will also need to send a copy of that institution's State Tax-Exempt Form for our records.
Copyright Restrictions
The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use,"; that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The University of Pennsylvania reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. It is the responsibility of the patron to obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish reproductions of special collections materials from the Kislak Center or the Library at the Katz Center.