WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL COMMISSION AND WILL ROGERS HERITAGE, INC.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES ACCESS, RESEARCH, AND DISSEMINATION
WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL MUSEUMS
CLAREMORE, OKLAHOMA
INTRODUCTION
The Will Rogers Memorial Museums encourage scholars, authors, students, and journalists to avail themselves of the library, archives, and other resources at the main museum in Claremore and at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch at nearby Oologah. Our long-standing open-door, open-stack policy remains an important feature of our commitment to make the study of Will Rogers and his times an accessible and a rewarding experience.
The museum and ranch, both open every day of the year, have long attracted the attention and interest of the general public. Thousands of people visit the Will Rogers Memorial Museums each year, most spending hours at a time touring its several galleries, lingering at its many video and audio displays, absorbing the wit and wisdom of one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century. Beyond its public viewing areas, the Memorial proudly holds the world’s largest collection of archival material related to Will Rogers. Among the repository’s thousands of pages of documents are hundreds of letters and telegrams to and from Rogers; his notes and full drafts of monologues, stage routines, speeches, lectures, motion picture scenarios, and radio broadcasts; his published and unpublished manuscripts for books, newspaper columns, magazine articles, and print advertisements; his and his family’s business and personal financial papers; scrapbooks compiled and maintained by the Rogers family and others; and scores of published and unpublished writings about Rogers from throughout the world.
The Memorial also includes the most extensive collection in the world of photographs, films (silent and sound), and audio recordings of and related to Rogers. The museum is currently working on a project to make available to the public via our website the complete collection of the Writings of Will Rogers. The four-volume set of Daily Telegrams and six-volume set of Weekly Articles and accompanying annotations, are now on the site in PDF format, fully accessible and searchable either by individual volume or by the full set here.
The Will Rogers Memorial Museums supports unrestricted access to research in its collections and unconditional dissemination of the product of research. The following policies and measures were formulated to serve all scholars and researchers, to abide with laws regarding literary rights, to respect the preservation of the materials in the collection of the Museums, to defray costs of access and dissemination, and to assure the integrity of information sought.
ACCESS TO RESEARCH
ACCESS. Any person may seek to research in the collections of the Will Rogers Memorial Museums. To preserve its collections the Museums may restrict access to materials of exceptional value and/or fragility and materials yet to be processed. Use of any item in the collections may be subject to the approval of the staff of Archives/Library.
COPYRIGHT. Published and unpublished documents, films, videos, photographic images, illustrations, recordings, and other materials in the collections of the Will Rogers Memorial Museums may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions provided by the Museums can be used only for research and scholarship and cannot be construed as permission to publish or otherwise reproduce. Permission to publish requires authorization of the staff of Archives/Library and the holder of the literary right or copyright. Permission for use of materials in the collections of the Will Rogers Memorial Museums for which the Will Rogers Memorial Commission or Will Rogers Heritage, Inc., may hold rights may be extended when judicial and appropriate.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR MATERIALS. Researchers shall use care to preserve the integrity of the materials in the collections of the Museum.
• Original materials from the collections may be used only at the Will Rogers Memorial Museums. No materials, including manuscripts, films, recordings, and photographic images, may be taken from the Museums without specific permission in writing from the staff of the Archives/Library.
• Researchers shall keep unbound materials in the order in which they are provided to them and in which they are filed. Researchers should notify a staff member of the Archives/Library if materials appear to be in disorder.
• Individuals accessing documents and books may only use pencils and electronic devices. Materials shall be handled with care. They shall not be folded, stapled, fastened, traced, written on, or handled in any manner that might cause damage. A researcher should not attempt to repair a mishandled document, film, or other item from the collections.
JURY SERVICE
Authors and producers are offered a jury service. Staff or contracted jurors may be used by the Will Rogers Memorial Commission or the Will Rogers Heritage, Inc., to provide the service, which will focus primarily on factual verification of information pertaining to Will Rogers. All manuscripts, films, and other materials to be juried would be serviced in a timely and professional manner.
Editorial conclusions shall remain the prerogative of the author/producer, although jurors will retain the right to challenge any aspect of the manuscript/production. Within limits of the law and boundaries of proprietary interests, jurors’ comments shall be held confidential between the institution and the author/producer.
As an incentive for juried review of publications and productions, the Will Rogers Commission, acting through the director, shall have the prerogative to waive all fees for Archives/Library materials and for services such as photocopying, photographs, and reproduction of other materials in the collections of the Memorial Museums. All copyrights shall be strictly observed.
FEES
STAFF RESEARCH. The staff of the Will Rogers Memorial Museums is available to conduct research in the collections when time and circumstance permit. The fee for such research is $25.00 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Deposits may be required in advance for projects of an estimated eight hours or more.
PHOTOGRAPH PRINTS, DIGITAL IMAGES, AND VIDEO COPIES. Duplicate prints of photographs may be purchased for $25.00 each. Digital files of images already scanned are available at $7.50 each. If no scanned image is available in our collection, then the price for scanning the photo and providing a digital file is $20.00 each. Copies of reproducible video can be provided in DVD, VHS, or ¾-inch format at thirty-five dollars ($35.00) per unit. A minimum charge of $3.00 shipping and handling applies on all orders of images. We allow one-time rights only without prior permission.
COPYING. Photocopies of materials in the collections of the Will Rogers Memorial Museums are available at $.20 per page, plus a minimum of $3.00 for postage and handling of mailed items.
All fees and services are subject to copyright laws and usual and customary privileges.
Because the library and archives are supported in part by state taxes paid by citizens and institutions within Oklahoma, a 20 percent reduction in fees shall be extended to qualified users.
The Will Rogers Memorial Commission, acting through its director and/or curator-manager, shall reserve the right and discretion to waive any or all fees in exchange for promotional or goodwill value.
We respectfully require payment in advance on orders unless other arrangements have been made in advance. Thank you.
SPECIAL PRIVILEGE: The Will Rogers Memorial Commission and Will Rogers Heritage, Inc., shall reserve the right within limits of the law to deny access when proprietary interests of the state, commission, or foundation are considered endangered.
Researchers are encouraged to contact the Will Rogers Memorial Museums prior to an on-site visit to determine the availability and volume of desired materials.
Contact: Jennifer Holt, 918.343.8124 (direct) or 800.324.9455
jholt@willrogers.com ▪ P.O. Box 157, Claremore, OK 74018-0157