Access

Policy
It is the Windy City Librarys mission to collect, preserve and make available materials to patrons interested in and conducting genealogical research of Cook County. To maintain the availability of materials, users will read the following terms and fill out the User Application Form. 1. Access is provided in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Archivists, and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Librarians. We will not deny access to any user, nor grant exclusive or privileged use of materials to any researcher, unless required to do so by authority, institutional mandate, or donor or purchase stipulation. Please refer to the donor policy to understand the terms under which these stipulations arise. 2. It is Windy City Librarys responsibility to inform researchers of all available materials in our collections, and to provide equal access among all patrons. However, we reserve the right to limit or restrict the used of materials based on donor agreements, unprocessed materials, and preservation practices. In accordance with institutional mandate, a user must present acceptable identification of any individuals wishing to use the materials within the collections, in addition to a signature verifying the knowledge of the terms of use. 3. While the Windy City Library does not charge fees for making available materials in our holdings, we do charge fees to facilitate access to collections by providing reproduction services. No copies of materials may be made without the permission of staff members. All use for publication or copying must adhere to the provisions of U.S. Copyright law. Additionally, citations to copies in repository should include location of original, if known. 4. While it is the Windy City librarys responsibility to make materials available and equally accessible for all researchers to use, it is the users responsibility to use all materials in accordance with institutional policies. The Windy City Library may refuse access to an individual researcher who has violated the published policy and regulations of repository.