VISITING THE HISTORY CENTER

Do I need to make an appointment?

Open Research Hours are held every Wednesday from 2-4pm. Outside of those hours, yes, appointments made in advance are required. Access to archival materials can only be provided by the Archivist. To make an appointment, please contact localhistory@pwpl.org or call (516) 883-4400, ext. 1803.

At the time the appointment is scheduled, researchers should provide a detailed description of the materials they are interested in viewing (collection name, box number, etc.). Finding aids for each collection can be found on our Collection Guide.

Is The History Center open during regular Library hours?

Open Research Hours are held every Wednesday from 2-4pm. Outside of those hours, access to The History Center is by appointment only during daytime Library hours (9am to 5pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 11am-5pm Wednesdays). Please note that appointments are subject to the availability of the Archivist.

What can I expect during my research visit?

Researchers will be asked to sign in upon arriving to their appointment. Only paper, pencils, and laptops without cases (i.e., items necessary for research) are permitted for use with archival and manuscript collections.

Jackets, bags, purses, and pens are not permitted in the Research Room. Food and drinks are not permitted. All personal items are subject to examination by Library staff upon entering and leaving the Research Room. Before your visit, please review our full Research Room Policy.

Can I make copies of materials?

Yes. Photocopies of archival materials are made by the Archivist. We ask that no more than five photocopies be made for a particular collection during the appointment. Further duplication of materials will be at the discretion of History Center staff. Personal cell phone photography of materials is permitted; however, permission must first be granted by the Archivist.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the reproduction of copyrighted material. Customers will be required to sign an indemnification statement in order for reproduction to take place. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

What if I can’t visit The History Center in person?

The History Center is committed to digitizing selected materials for wider access. Many of our collections can be found online on the New York Heritage digital portal.

Requests for photographs and other materials may be placed via one of our permission forms. 

Do I need permission to cite or quote History Center material?

The History Center welcomes personal, educational, and noncommercial use that qualifies as fair use to all unrestricted materials in the collection. The researcher must cite and give proper credit to the History Center. Please see examples for proper citations:

Image credits

All materials reproduced must use the credit line “Courtesy of The History Center at the Port Washington Public Library.” Each image used must be credited in this way, with the credit itself displayed just below the image.

Oral histories

The suggested form of citation is:

Reminiscences of _____________ (year of the interview), Collection or Project Title (when applicable), pages _____, The History Center, Port Washington Public Library, Port Washington, New York.