Research Facilities
Application Procedures
Reference Services
Locating Material
Opening of Material
Terms of Access
Citing Library Holdings
Photocopy and Duplication Service
Copyright
Research Staff
Main Research Room:
Research Archivist: Stephen Plotkin
Research Assistant: Sharon Kelly
Ernest Hemingway Collection:
Curator: Susan Wrynn
Audiovisual Collections:
Audiovisual Archivist: Maryrose Grossman
Archives Specialist: Laurie Austin
Book Collection and Printed Materials:
Archivist: Erica Boudreau
Research facilities
The research facilities of the Kennedy Library consist of three separate research rooms. The main research room on the fourth floor is also the access point for using the other research rooms. The audiovisual room is located on the third floor, and the Ernest Hemingway Room is on the fifth floor. They are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Researchers should make appointments to use either the audiovisual archives or the Hemingway Collection (telephone numbers are listed below). Research rooms are closed on weekends and Federal holidays.
Application procedures
The Kennedy Library is a research archive, not a general public library. It houses materials that are valuable and unavailable elsewhere. Because of this, the library staff adheres to professional archival security measures in administering library holdings. Prior to visiting the library you should contact the reference staff to describe your proposed research topic and to find out whether material is available on your topic. The reference staff will provide you with information about relevant holdings, their extent, and their character. When you arrive at the library you will complete an application to conduct research and you must present a driver's license, military identification card, passport or other current identification containing your photograph. After a short interview with a member of the reference staff, you will be registered for a researcher identification card. You will not be issued a researcher identification card if the library staff determines that the records that you wish to use are not in the legal custody of the Kennedy Library or if your research needs can be met by secondary sources available at other libraries. Specific research room rules and a guide to proper document handling procedures will be given to you upon registration.
Reference services
Reference staff assist you by providing:
Information about library holdings
Instruction and advice in locating and using materials
Document and published material reference service to researchers on-site, by telephone, by mail or by E-mail
A limited interlibrary loan service
A limited bibliographical service
Document duplication service (A self-service photocopier is also available in the main research room)
Informational literature and selected reading lists
Reference staff do not provide:
Extensive, specialized, or evaluative research
Selection of items for you for research or duplication
Monetary appraisal of collections of documents, books or memorabilia
Critical review of your manuscript for opinion or accuracy
Staff answer specific questions received by mail, telephone, Fax or E-mail if the information you need is brief, is not readily obtainable elsewhere, and is contained in the library's holdings. Extensive research into your subject by staff is not available. You may be advised that a request cannot be filled unless you come to the library to conduct research in person. Please consult standard reference sources in a local public or university library to answer ready reference questions before contacting the Kennedy Library. Most of these questions can be answered by checking newspaper or periodical indexes, encyclopedias, chronologies, biographical works, and compilations of Presidential speeches. The library maintains a World Wide Web site at www.jfklibrary.org that contains substantial reference sources, news, museum exhibits, photographs, sound files and other materials that are frequently requested from the reference staff. Requests for copies of specific documents received by mail, telephone, Fax or E-mail are subject to similar limitations.
Please direct your telephone inquiries to the appropriate number listed below:
Main research room: 617-514-1629, Fax: 617-514-1625
Audiovisual archives: 617-514-1622, Fax: 617-514-1615
Hemingway Collection: 617-514-1530, Fax: 617-514-1641
Book Collection and Printed Materials: 617-514-1626, Fax: 617-514-1625
Locating material
This guide is the starting point in your search for material. It lists collections alphabetically and it contains important information about access to and use of library holdings.
Detailed finding aids (registers, inventories, indexes, folder title lists) are available in the main research room for each collection that is open for research. There is an automated catalog for the book collection, and card catalogs for the oral history collection, House and Senate hearings, and for a file of selected periodical articles. Finding aids for audiovisual material and the Hemingway Collection are located in their respective research rooms. You can borrow copies of finding aids through the interlibrary loan service.
Success in locating relevant material depends on many factors, among which are the availability of material on the topic, your familiarity with the people and events of the Kennedy administration, and the ability of you and the reference staff to interact productively. The staff will provide you with a general introduction and specific suggestions during your initial orientation. Individual finding aids are the main locating tools. You should discuss your topic in some detail with a member of the reference staff and continue to ask questions whenever they arise. The reference staff will gladly provide suggestions to you whenever needed. Within the limits of the Privacy Act, the staff will keep you informed about work being done in the library by other researchers on the same or related topics. A list of researchers who have given permission to inform you of their work is available on request.
Opening of material
Processing archival material is an ongoing labor-intensive activity entailing, among other activities, arrangement, description, reviewing, and preservation. The library staff must process a collection to an acceptable state before it is opened for research use. When processing work is completed, a finding aid is placed in the main research room, and an opening announcement is added to the openings file. The library makes public announcements in this publication, through its World Wide Web site (www.jfklibrary.org), and in Prologue (the journal of the National Archives). You should call or write to the reference department for the latest information about openings or changes in collection status.
Terms of access
Witholding individual documents from research use for specified or indefinite periods of time is sometimes required by the terms of the deeds by which donors give their materials to the library, by law, or by Executive Order. For each document witheld a document withdrawal sheet is placed in the file to show what has been witheld and the reason why. Access restrictions can apply to an entire collection or to parts of a collection.
Reasons for access limitations include:
Removal according to the provisions listed in the donor's deed of gift or deposit agreement. You may appeal such closures in writing to the Director of the Kennedy Library. Forms to appeal closures are available in the main research room.
Removal according to general National Archives and Records Administration criteria, principally documents relating to investigations of individuals, documents the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy, or documents that libel a living person. You may appeal such closures in writing to the Director of the Kennedy Library.
Removal required by national security classification. You may appeal such removals through the mandatory review process administered according to Executive Order 12958. Consult the reference staff for proper forms and procedures.
Collections listed as "Open" can be examined without restriction. Although individual documents may be witheld from these collections, and withdrawals may be appealed, the collections themselves are open to all researchers.
Collections listed as "Open in part" contain subfiles, series or sections that are not currently available for examination. The open portions of these collections can be examined without restriction. Generally, portions are closed for reasons noted above or the particular subfiles, series or sections are not yet processed.
Collections listed as "Permission required"can be examined only with the written permission of the donor or the donor's legal representative. To obtain permission you should photocopy a papers permission request form, or an oral history permission request form, sign and date it, and send it to the donor with a cover letter explaining the nature of your research. The donor decides specific conditions of access and sends the original completed form directly to the Kennedy Library. You will then be notified of the donor's preferences by the reference staff. The library does not accept permission forms from anyone except the donor or the donor's legal representative, nor does the library act as an agent or intermediary to obtain permission. The library only accepts permission forms containing original signatures. Telephone permissions, faxes, photocopies, or completed forms sent or brought to the library by researchers are not acceptable. You will not be able to use a collection until you co-sign the permission form indicating that you accept the terms the donor has specified. You can find addresses for most donors in a current edition of Who's Who in America or other biographical sources. Consult the reference staff to obtain addresses of individuals whose names do not appear in these sources.
Collections listed as "Closed" are not currently available for research. Reasons for closure vary depending upon whether a deed has been completed, the terms of individual deeds or deposit agreements, the presence of national security classified information, or whether the collection has been processed to an acceptable state by library staff. Consult the reference staff to determine the specific reason a collection is closed and for changes in the status of collections. This publication also uses "closed" to describe collections that contain fragmentary amounts of open material but are substantially closed. In these cases notations are provided in the collection description for the small amount of open material that is available.
Citing library holdings
When citing Kennedy Library holdings you should clearly show the box location of individual items. This helps other researchers who may wish to see documents that are cited in published works and reference staff members who may be asked to locate complete texts of cited documents. You should follow as closely as possible the titles and terms used to list collections in this publication.
The fictitious examples below show the information to be included in complete citations to various types of library holdings. After the first citation to a collection or to the Kennedy Library, abbreviations should be used (e.g., WHCSF for White House Central Subject Files and JFKL for John F. Kennedy Library).
1. Letter, John F. Kennedy to James M. Curley, April 20, 1948, "Cuddy-Dedrick" folder, Pre-Presidential Papers, box 32, John F. Kennedy Library. [Use the title as it appears on the folder].
2. Memorandum, Fred Dutton to Heads of Departments and Agencies, June 12, 1961, "Equality of Opportunity" folder, White House Central Subject Files, box 857, JFKL.
3. Letter, Burke Marshall to Ralph Abernathy, October 12, 1963, "Southern Christian Leadership Conference" folder, Burke Marshall Papers, box 20, JFKL.
4. Letter, Robert Williams to Myer Feldman, June 15, 1962, "Merchant Marine" folder, Myer Feldman WH Staff Files, box 18, JFKL.
5. Report, Civil Rights Activities in the Department of Commerce, July 2, 1962, "Reports to the President" folder, Department of Commerce microfilm, roll 115, JFKL.
6. G. Mennen Williams interview, January 27, 1970, p. 75, JFKL.
7. June 26, 1962, Item 136.2, Meeting Recordings, Presidential Recordings, JFKL. [Use the same format for telephone recordings].
Photocopy and duplication service
Photocopy and duplication service is available at fees set by NARA. Consult reference staff for current rates. Fees are payable in advance of processing an order. The library reserves the right to refuse to process orders for researchers who have outstanding unpaid balances at the Kennedy Library or any other NARA facility. Orders are filled on a first-paid first-processed basis. Rush orders are not accepted. Orders placed on-site are given preference over mail orders of the same date. Processing of mail orders of over 100 pages may be delayed or refused. Members of the reference staff do not select documents for you for duplication. Self-service photocopying is available at reduced fees. Payment may be made by personal check, money order, or credit card. All payments must be made in U.S. currency. Foreign checks and money orders must be drawn on a branch of a U.S. bank.
Mail-order copies are sent by regular mail. Alternate shipping arrangements can be made at your expense. The library assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to mail orders by the Post Office or other carriers. There is no warranty expressed or implied for the quality of reproductions beyond providing the best copy using available equipment. Except in the event of staff error, returns are not accepted, and refunds are not made.
Copyright
The copyright law of the United States, Title 17, U.S. Code, governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction of copyrighted material is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable to prosecution for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copy order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
Donors of many of the collections housed in the Kennedy Library also donate copyright to the United States Government, effectively transferring their letters and documents to the public domain. Copyright in documents located within these collections that are written by persons other than the donor generally remains with the writer or creator for his lifetime plus 70 years. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.