What to expect

The Archive is free to visit and open to the public as well as members of the University.*

Your visit starts by signing in
If you have not been to the Archives before you will need to complete a registration form and show staff some form of identification such as a driving license or matriculation card**

In signing the registration form you are agreeing to abide by the Archive's Reader guidelines and will follow the record handling guidelines. It is also an agreement to comply with personal data legislation**
You will be issued with a reader ticket which should be brought on all subsequent visits. Reader tickets should be renewed every three years. The expiry date will be on your ticket

You can find what you want by using finding aids
Finding aids help you decide which records will be most useful to you. Before you visit us, you can check the online catalogue to identify records you wish to see. Or you can browse the databases of topics and subjects lists. These are also accessible from the search room

The Archive's search room contains descriptive lists (catalogues) of the collections. The volumes are colour coded, to distinguish between University records (red), the Tayside Health Board collections (green) and the manuscript collections (blue). Each collection is headed by a summary of its contents, so that you can quickly see who created the material, what dates it covers and what kind of information it contains. You can browse through the descriptive lists of one or more collections and note which original items you would like see.

A number of books are available on the shelves in the search room but many more are available. Choose from our book catalogue or our local history book collection index available in the search room and staff will get them for you

I've seen what I want, what do I do now?
Each collection has a unique reference number, as does each volume, bundle or item within each collection. When you want to see anything you need to take a note of the complete reference number so the correct material can be produced.

Consultation slips

• When you see something of interest, make a note of the reference number. You need the number to fill in the consultation slip which is used to produce the items you wish to see.
• You will probably need to complete one slip for each item - staff will advise you.
• Give your slips to a member of staff and the material you have asked for will be brought to you from the strong room.

The documents

• When you have the material you requested, please follow the document handling guidelines which will minimise wear and tear on the documents. 
• There are paper and pencils available for you to take notes, gloves to protect photographs and cushions to support volumes. 
• Items will be issued one at a time. Documents should be returned to staff when finished with. 
• Items cannot be removed from the search room.
• Staff are always happy to advise about the documents and help you interpret them.

Access to the records
There are certain circumstances when access to the documents is restricted. Some records may be too fragile or are away being repaired. Records may also be closed under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, or at the request of the collection's owner.

*Children under 12 need to be accompanied by an adult.

** In compliance with the Data Protection Act (1998), any personal information supplied by you may be kept in either a manual or automated file for administration, record or management information purposes. The information will be used for no other purpose. Only those with direct operational rights will have access to the information.