Archives & Special Collections: Getting Started

Once you find and use something great, you're going to want to come back to it!

Old-fashioned paper-based notes work great, but there are also a number of helpful technology tools that can make this process easier. If you're affiliated with CSU, check around for research or technology workshops and for free or discounted software.

We've also got some information about copyright and permissions below. As always, remember to ask for assistance if you get stumped!

Citation formats can differ depending on your academic discipline or publisher. We've got some basic examples below, but be sure to look at  this page on citation style guides for more specifics.

Standard Chicago style citation format for a book: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Publication Year.

Example: Hansen, James E. Democracy’s College in the Centennial State: A History of Colorado State University. Fort Collins: Colorado State University, 1977.

Standard citation format for an item in an archival collection: Item/folder Title, Collection Title, Repository, Institution.

Example: Carter Lake Dam, Colorado, Papers of Maurice L. Albertson, Water Resources Archive, Colorado State University.

As you prepare to complete your work, make sure you are following copyright laws. If you will be publishing your work and incorporating an entire item or a substantial portion of an item from Archives & Special Collections, you may need to go through our permissions process. If you require higher resolution files than what you find online, you can contact us via email or our Order an Image or Reproduction form.

For in-depth copyright guidance, see:

If you're doing extensive research, you might want to use an app to track your resources. Those below can not only download directly from library catalogs, but they can also be used to insert citations and generate your bibliography when you're writing your paper.