Service to the Membership and General Public

Those who are able to visit the Library will find that, except for manuscripts, rare books, and some unbound periodicals, much of the collection is arranged on open stacks. This allows visitors to browse freely, although the collections do not circulate and items must always be used on the ANS premises. With the use of the online catalog and assistance from the professional staff, it does not take long for one to learn the arrangement of the collection and to move freely throughout the Library in the course of research.

Reproductions

Photocopy service is also provided in accordance with the terms of the Revised Copyright Law of 1978. A minimum fee of $5.00 is charged for photocopy orders. Added to this are a fee of $.25 per exposure and the cost of postage to the recipient. All payments are to be made in US dollars. Checks must be drawn on US banks. Please note also that requests should be limited to brief articles or relevant passages; items that might be damaged in copying will not be reproduced.

Scanning service is also available in accordance with the same terms of the Revised Copyright Law of 1978. A minimum fee of $20.00 is charged for the first 10 pages scanned, and $1.00 for each additional page. Pdfs will be emailed once the scanning is complete.

Rush service for all copy orders is available and orders will be sent out in 2-3 days from the date that payment is received. An additional $50.00 fee is applied to all rush service requests (for each order of up to 100 pages). Please allow 2-4 weeks for all standard reference services.

Photography services are also available. Due to the fragile nature of some items, photography is the only available option for reproduction. Fees are similar to those of the numismatic collections. Click here for further details.

Please contact the librarian for additional details on any of these services.

Reference services:

For many people who are unable to visit the Society, the Library staff provides reference service through the mail (snail mail and e-mail) and by telephone and fax. Over 3000 such inquiries are handled annually. Questions of a "quick reference" nature will be answered over the phone. Time constraints rule out our doing literature searches for those who do not have specific references. However, where time is required to find the answer to a particular query, certain research fees may apply. For archival reference, please contact the Archivist. Depending on the number of outstanding queries, it may take two weeks or more before you receive a response to your initial inquiry. Photocopies can be mailed or faxed to you at the applicable rates (see Reference Fees). Please note that the ANS Library does not participate in Interlibrary Loan Services (ILL).

Users are welcome to conduct research during regular business hours. If you are unable to visit the ANS, staff can conduct more detailed reference searches on your behalf at the reference fee rates (see Reference Fees). For inquiries that require more than one hour of service, staff will contact you to provide estimates before initiating the research. Additional fees for photocopies are applicable. All orders must be prepaid by check drawn on a U.S. bank or by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. Please note that there is a $20.00 minimum for credit card payments). If the user is paying by check or money order, such should be made payable to: The American Numismatic Society. FEDERAL TAX ID-135562383. Orders are processed on a first-come, first-served basis and will be answered in 2-4 weeks from receipt of payment. Canceled orders may incur a fee if processing was done prior to cancellation.

Numismatic Literature, the Society's abstract bibliography, which is now also available online, may also be used as a guide to current literature. Most of the items abstracted in Numismatic Literature are acquired by the library.