The Institute Archives and Special Collections serves Rensselaer students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as other researchers interested in conducting research with the unique materials housed within the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
- Please note Archives staff prioritize access of collections for the immediate RPI Community.
- In person reference and research is scheduled on Wednesdays 9-12 & 1-4 and Thursdays 9-12.
- Our collections must be reviewed and retrieved from closed stacks or from offsite storage, therefore appointments must be made 1 week in advance.
- Reference email inquiries are processed during limited hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 -12:00 a.m. and 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Requests received outside these hours will be handled during our next scheduled reference period. We will make every effort to respond to non-RPI-affiliated researchers within 2-3 weeks.
Access to the Archives
- All researchers must use the Archives Reference and Research Submission Form
to request information and access to collections. An Archivist will respond with next steps. - Research can often be initiated, or even completed, using online resources.
According to time limits, Archives staff will:
- Connect researchers to resources from the RPI archives.
- Identify relevant collections, or portions of collections, for patrons to analyze which are used in the reading room by appointment.
