Tablet Collection Researcher Guidelines

Research Request Visit Guidelines

By submitting a research visit request, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by the following guidelines:
  1. Objects in the Tablet Collection of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago are administered by the Tablet Collection Curator. Researchers should apply for permission to examine materials in the collections using the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum Tablet Collection Research Request Form at least two (2) weeks in advance, and an appointment must be scheduled with the Tablet Collection Curator. Researchers may be required to furnish satisfactory identification to the Tablet Collection Curator.
  2. Access to the Tablet Collection is subject to restrictions which have been placed on certain materials. Permission to examine certain objects or object groups may be denied, although every reasonable effort will be made to permit access by qualified researchers who apply for permission to consult unrestricted materials in the Tablet Collection.
  3. Researchers agree to abide by the following rules when accessing the Tablet Collection:
    • Objects in the Tablet Collection may be examined only in the Tablet Room.
    • Under no circumstances may objects be removed from ISAC’s building by a researcher, or to other parts of the building outside of the Tablet Room.
    • No smoking, eating, drinking, or gum chewing is permitted while working with the objects.
    • Note paper must be placed directly on the writing surface provided, and not on any objects which are being examined. Laptops and tablets can be used for note taking.
    • Personal items and other extraneous paraphernalia, excluding laptops and electronic tablets, must be kept away from the tablets and stored or placed in an area designated by the Tablet Collection Curator for that purpose.
    • The researcher may not bring guests into the Tablet Room without prior permission. Authorized guests are the responsibility of the researcher and are subject to the same terms and provisions of the Researcher Guidelines agreed upon by the researcher.
    • Posting of selfies of the researcher in the Tablet Room and/or photographs of objects from the collection to social media or any other online platform is strictly forbidden.
    • Access to the Tablet Room is granted between the hours of 9:00am and 6:00pm or by appointment.
    • The door of the Tablet Room must be locked at all times.

      Failure to abide by the terms and provisions of the Researcher Guidelines may result in the termination of the researcher’s access to the Tablet Collection.
       
  4. Documenting objects in the Tablet Room is subject to the following conditions:
    • Making photographs, sketches, measurements, etc. by the researcher FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY is possible with permission of the Tablet Collection Curator.
    • Researchers are responsible for supplying their own equipment (i.e., cameras, etc.). A stand, lights, and a sand box for stabilization are available in the Tablet Room.
    • Digital copies of all photographs taken by the researcher must be supplied to the Tablet Collection Curator. Photographs may be selected for inclusion in the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum collections database, as well as made available in the online version for non-commercial research purposes when of suitable quality.
  5. The researcher agrees to credit the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago in any written material, whether published or not, when objects in the Tablet Collection have been consulted as a source of information.
  6. Written permission to publish objects from the Tablet Collection of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago must be requested in writing from the Tablet Collection Curator and obtained prior to publication. Theses and dissertations are subject to the permission procedure and requirement, although they are generally considered to be in a separate category from publications. Permission to include information and/or images on online websites must also be obtained in writing. In granting permission to publish materials from the Tablet Collection, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago does not forfeit its own right to publish the same material or to permit others to publish it. Exclusive first-rights to examine or to publish previously unpublished materials in the Tablet Collection of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago may be granted to designated researchers at the discretion of the authorities of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago, who reserve the right to re-assign those first-rights when publication deadlines or other stipulated terms have not been met.
  7. Requests to publish photographs of objects in the Tablet Collection of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures will be directed to the Museum Office, which handles photo requests and permissions for publication (isac-museum@uchicago.edu). Requests to publish photographs of objects from the Tablet Collection taken by the researcher should also be directed to the Museum Office.
  8. When permission to publish objects from the Tablet Collection of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago has been granted, the researcher agrees to credit the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago using the credit line “Courtesy of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago.” Failure to credit the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago may result in the pursuit of such remedies, legal and otherwise, which are available to the Institute. In this connection, the researcher should note that Title 17 of the United States Code, which pertains to Copyright Law, was revised in 1978. Under certain circumstances, the owners of unpublished manuscript and other materials may be protected from copyright infringement. The researcher is advised that the publication of unpublished materials without the express permission of the owner(s) may constitute violation of the Copyright Laws of the United States of America, and the copyright laws of such other countries as may participate in international copyright agreements.
  9. The researcher agrees, as a courtesy in return for permission to publish materials in the Tablet Collection of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago, to inform the Tablet Collection Curator in writing when a publication which cites or is based upon materials in the Museum Collections of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago appears in print. The researcher agrees to give a complimentary copy of the publication(s) to the Museum Office of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago, except in those cases when to do so would result in a clear financial hardship for the researcher.