Visiting the Archives
Hours & appointments
The Archives are open to the public by appointment.
Processed archival collections are available for research conducted by the public, by appointment during business hours, Tuesday through Friday. Please allow 1–2 business days for staff to prepare records for your visit.
Unprocessed exhibition records from 1956 to 2009 require more advanced notice and an understanding that newer records contain more restrictions.
Reference services & fees
Staff members can provide limited reference services free of charge. For all reference requests, please contact us.
For those unable to visit, staff can perform in-depth research in our collections for a fee of $45.00 per hour with a one-hour minimum. A list of professional researchers-for-hire is available upon request. All arrangements between the requester and a private researcher are the requester’s responsibility.
Please visit our Reproductions page for information on reproduction fees.
Restrictions
When accessing materials, certain types of information may not be available because of restrictions that protect the privacy rights of individuals or organizations, legitimate proprietary rights of the Museum, or for other reasons. However, most of the collection is unrestricted and will be available to researchers on a fair basis.
Before you begin
Researchers will present a picture ID and fill out the Researcher Registration Form before accessing materials. This form includes an agreement to be signed that indicates that the researcher has read the access guidelines below and a warning concerning copyright law. The Researcher Registration Form, along with a list of records pulled, will be kept on file by the Archivist.
Access guidelines
To preserve the institutional memory of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields and provide it as a research resource for future generations, we ask that these procedures be observed to protect these unique materials:
- Personal belongings such as coats, briefcases, handbags, etc. should not be placed on the research table; items used for research (e.g., pencils, paper, laptop computers) are allowed.
- Wash hands before handling materials.
- No drinking or eating is allowed.
- Use only pencil or laptops for taking notes.
- No marks may be added or erased, and no tracing or rubbing is permitted.
- Remove only one folder at a time from a box and maintain the original order of the folders in the box and materials in the folder. Tip: Keep the folder flat on the tabletop and turn the pages as if they were a book, the order will be maintained, and unnecessary wear will be prevented.
- Please do not rearrange or remove materials from folders for any reason. Notify the Archivist if anything appears to be out of order.
- Collection materials are noncirculating and may not be removed from the reading room without authorization.