The best way to perform research using SCRC materials is to visit us in person. Students and researchers are welcome to request materials to use in the reading room. If it your first time visiting us, you’ll need to register for an SCRC Researcher Account. 

Our collections are maintained in closed stacks and do not circulate, and all materials requested (except microforms) may be used only in the reading room. 

Please be aware that many of our collections may be housed in remote storage, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please contact us in advance so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for your visit.

If you cannot visit us in person, we invite you to contact the SCRC staff for reference assistance.

In all reference requests, please include your name and complete contact information, as well as your specific question. You may email, submit a request on our Ask SCRC page, call (215-204-8257), or write us (SCRC, Charles Library, Temple University Libraries, 1900 N. Thirteenth St., Philadelphia, PA 19122).

Please understand that due to staffing constraints, we are not able to provide in-depth research services. Questions are addressed in the order in which they are received, and response time will vary.

The SCRC staff is not able to provide research services, except to Temple University administration. 

The SCRC has only a few resources relevant to genealogical researchers, and some of those are restricted due to privacy and confidentiality issues. However, for remote researchers, SCRC staff will look up four biographical/genealogical entries per researcher, annually. Researchers interested in more than four entries per year are encouraged to visit our reading room to conduct their own research, where the four entry limit does not apply, during our normal hours of operation, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm.

Guides to select topics and subjects available for research in the Special Collections Research Center can be found on this page. More will be added soon.

These guides represent a small portion of the possible research topics in our collections. Please contact us for research assistance or to request to view these materials in our reading room.

In all cases, researchers must cite the SCRC as the source with the appropriate credit line provided below:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], [Collection title], [Collection ID], Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

If the material is under copyright, researchers must cite all copyright information and comply with all other terms or restrictions that may be applicable to that material.

For more general information about conducting archival research, the
Society of American Archivists (SAA) published this useful guide: Using
Archives: A Guide to Effective Research.