Handling Rare Materials

Since many of the items housed in Archives and Special Collections are rare, unique or fragile, special care must be taken when handling them. The co-operation of researchers is requested in order to preserve the materials. All of the materials are non-circulating and may only be used in the GWRC. Staff in the GWRC will be happy to advise you on proper handling of rare items. Please note:

• Coats, bags and briefcases are to be stored in the lockers provided.
• Only pencils are used for note-taking in the GWRC.
• Cell phones, tablets and laptops are permitted.
• Eating and drinking are not permitted.
• Cotton gloves (supplied) may be required for the handling of some materials.
• Books must be placed flat on the table or be supported on a bookstand. Book weights for holding pages open are available in the GWRC.
• Archival materials must be kept in the order in which they are placed in a folder and must not be re-arranged or removed from the folder.

Glenbow Western Research Centre

Location The Glenbow Western Research Centre (GWRC) is located on the second floor, Suite 220 of the Taylor Family Digital Library. If you are unfamiliar with the Taylor Family Digital Library, please consult the campus map. The Taylor Family Digital Library (building code: TFDL) is located in the centre of the Main Campus of the University of Calgary. Hours The GWRC is currently available by appointment only. Appointments may be made Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Contact us with your research inquiry or to book an appointment.

Requesting Materials

For general inquiries, or to request materials to be brought to the GWRC for you, please send us a message at the following addresses:

• Special Collections (Rare Books, Special Collections): Email
• Canadian Architectural Archives: Email
• University of Calgary Archives: Email
• Glenbow Library and Archives: Email
• Military Museums Library and Archives: tmmlibrary@ucalgary.ca

If you are not sure which email address to use, write to Email. Books, archival and other special materials held in Archives and Special Collections are available for consultation in the GWRC. Items cannot be borrowed or consulted in any other location. Retrieval Materials held in Archives and Special Collections need to be retrieved from storage vaults and may be held in another campus facility. We ask that researchers provide us with a minimum of two business days’ notice regarding which books or archival materials they require. If you are planning to consult a higher volume of materials (e.g. multiple boxes of archival materials) please let us know in advance, and we will work with you. Restrictions While the majority of records are available for research, some materials that you request may be restricted. Any restrictions will be noted in the fonds level record available through our archival database. If you are requesting records from the permanent corporate record of the University Archives, note that the corporate record is restricted for 15 years from date of creation as per the Freedom of Information/Protection of Privacy Act. In the case of any access restrictions, it may be possible to access the records via a Researcher Agreement – contact Archives & Special Collections for more details.

If you are planning a research trip to Archives and Special Collections at the University of Calgary, please contact us ahead of time so we can prepare collection items and materials for your visit. Archives and Special Collections is located in the Taylor Family Digital Library, in the heart of the University of Calgary's main campus. The GWRC is currently available by appointment only. Appointments may be made Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Contact us with your research inquiry or to book an appointment.

Calgary Accommodation (close to the University)

If you require on-campus accommodation, the Hotel Alma is only a 5-minute walk to/from the Taylor Family Digital Library. Other nearby hotel and motel accommodation is available:

• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Calgary - University Northwest
• Aloft Calgary University
• Comfort Inn and Suites University

Parking on Campus

The campus parking lot nearest to the Taylor Family Digital Library is The Art Parkade, a 5-story structure with 1260 stalls on the south side of the main campus.See the campus parking map for more details.

Public Transportation

The University of Calgary is served by light rail transit (The C Train). The main campus LRT station is "University," located on the East side of campus. Regular fare is $3.50. Buses 9, 20, 31, 90, and 104 have on-campus stops. Regular fare is $3.50.