Research Appointment Updates
* The Environmental Design Archives will be closed from February 1st through mid-March due to staffing shortages. If you need research or reference help please email designarchives@berkeley.edu with any requests. If your request is urgent please list that in the subject line. Thank you for your patience at this time.
Delayed Services
June 2021
The EDA is currently experiencing delays to our reference and digitization services due to the loss of key staff. While we are in the process of rehiring these positions, our small team will be working hard to assist you with your reference requests. Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to provide digitization services. We ask for your patience during this transitional time and thank you for your understanding.
Scheduling an Appointment
To schedule an appointment you can contact designarchives@berkeley.edu or call 510.642.5124.
Access to the Environmental Design Archives is by appointment only, the Research Room is open Monday-Thursday.
The collection is open to all members of the University of California community, as well as scholars, architects, landscape architects, preservationists, and the general public.
Please note that some of our collections are stored off-site, advance notice is required. We are a small shop and prefer one to two weeks' notice for scheduling research visits.
Collections are organized by the creators of the records such as architect, landscape architect, firm, designer, or photographer, and then by original client’s last name or project title not by address. Client name can be an individual (Robert Birge), the corporate entity (Eichler Homes), or an organization (U.S. Farm Security Administration).
Before your appointment
Before coming to do research, it helps if you can supply a list of items you would like to view during your visit. To find this information, you can consult the following resources:
Additional resources:
During your Appointment: Policies
Holdings of the Environmental Design Archives are available to faculty, staff, students, and the public for research, within conditions imposed by donor agreements and institutional policy. Researchers are also required to comply with access rules designed to protect archival material for use by future generations.
Researchers are required to complete a registration form and to furnish personal photographic identification, such as a valid driver's license, college or university identification, or an employer's identification card. The registration form includes a statement of agreement to abide by the Environmental Design Archives regulations, which researchers are required to read and sign before gaining access to collections.
Stack areas are closed to the public. Materials cannot be removed from the Archives. Researchers are not allowed to take coats, briefcases, backpacks, handbags, books, etc., to the research tables. We provide an area for the storage of such items. No pens, food, or drinks, are permitted.
Personal computers, cameras, and tape recorders may be used for taking notes provided that their use does not disturb other researchers. The use of such equipment is subject to approval by the staff. Scanners are not permitted.
Access to collections does not constitute procurement of permission to publish, reproduce, exhibit, broadcast, or electronically disseminate Environmental Design Archives materials. Researchers must obtain permission for these activities by separate agreement with the Archives. Researchers are responsible for observing all U.S. and international copyright regulations.
There is no research fee for students, faculty, or staff of the University of California, Berkeley. An hourly research fee for using the collections is required for outside researchers. Reproduction, publication, and exhibition of images from the Archives are also subject to fees. See the EDA fee schedule.
**Please note that if you are more than thirty minutes late for your appointment the EDA will consider your appointment canceled. If you are running late or cannot make it please call us at 510-642-5124.
Digitization
Use
Fee Schedule
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Scheduling an Appointment
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Access Policies
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Services
- Information pages: found via the list of collections page consist of a webpage for each collection containing a brief biography of the creator of the records, and for each collection--the scope of contents, links to the project index, and an online finding aid.
- Finding Aids: individual collections are available to aid researchers in understanding the arrangement, scope, and contents of the records. They can be accessed through the EDA’s website or directly through the Online Archive of California where digital images are also available (see eyeball icon).
- Not sure what a finding aid is or how to use one? Take a look at our finding aid guide or watch the video below.
- Project Index: an excel spreadsheet that lists all the projects for a particular EDA collection. This index is organized by the original client's last name or project title and can be found on the information page for each respective collection.
