Library Policies

As the first maritime school in the country, founded in 1874, the college’s institutional records document the development of nautical education in the United States. The archives include college bulletins, yearbooks, reflections of the coronavirus, photographs, school and training ship records, student records, and more. 

The college archives also hold the personal papers of graduates who went on to have distinguished careers in the maritime industry. Highlights include the papers of Malcolm Peters Nash (Class of 1887), Louis Weickum (Class of 1903), John S. Baylis (Class of 1903), and Arthur M. Tode (Class of 1912).

Schedule an appointment to begin your research today, by calling us at (718) 409- 7231 or email at library@sunymaritime.edu. We are located on the first floor of the Stephen B. Luce Library. We ask all visitors to fill out a Registration Form before or upon arrival at the Maritime College Archives. 

The Archives and Special Collections of the Stephen B. Luce Library acquires, preserves, and makes accessible unique collections documenting maritime culture, industry, and education in the state of New York and beyond. These collections enhance the curriculum of the college while also serving researchers, scholars and genealogists from around the world. Primary source materials in a wide variety of formats may be acquired, including manuscripts, photographs, records, audio-visual materials, and ephemera.   

The intention of the Archives is to acquire and preserve born-digital records. However, decisions about accessioning electronic records will be made on a case-by-case basis while the appropriate infrastructure for ingesting and preserving such materials is developed.

Collection Development policies for the Archives and Special Collections will be reviewed on an on-going basis. Changes may be made based on priorities of the library and/or college, and/or as new initiatives or best practices arise.

Current collecting priorities and focuses include:

• Records of Maritime College with enduring historical value, such as:​
  • Materials documenting student life and experience on schoolships and training ships.
  • Materials documenting the evolution of the college's curriculum and governance.
  • Materials documenting significant events and milestones.
  • Regularly issued reports and publications, such as catalogs and yearbooks.
  • Papers of faculty that demonstrate exceptional scholarly, teaching, or service activities.
  • Records of academic and administrative units and committees.
  • Papers, photographs, and records of alumni that pertain to their time at the college or subsequent careers.
• Papers of individuals that illustrate the experience and conditions of a life at sea, such as correspondences, photographs, diaries, scrapbooks, and ephemera.
• Papers of individuals with notable careers within the maritime industry.
• Records of maritime-related civic, political, cultural, and charitable groups.
• Records of shipping companies, regulatory bodies, professional, trade, and other organizations documenting the development of the maritime industry.
• Collections that will diversify the archival record, providing evidence of the role and contributions of people of color, women, and other under-represented groups in the maritime industry.

The Archives and Special Collections of the Stephen B. Luce Library does not acquire:

• Collections that are tangential or unrelated to maritime heritage.
• Printed materials already widely available in other institutions or in trusted digital repositories.
• Materials that will never be open to the public.
• Ship models.
• Materials that are hazardous or require extensive resources to be conserved.
• Due to limited space and ability to preserve three-dimensional objects and artwork, referrals will be made for possible accession by the Maritime Industry Museum as appropriate.

Adopted Spring 2017, Created by Annie Tummino

The Stephen B. Luce Library acquires materials that document and preserve the history of the college, in accordance with our Collection Development Policy. This includes:

• Papers, photographs, and records of alumni that pertain to their time at the college or subsequent careers.
• Papers of individuals that illustrate the experience and conditions of a life at sea, such as correspondences, photographs, diaries, scrapbooks, and ephemera.
• Papers of individuals with notable careers within the maritime industry
• Transfers of records with an enduring value from the college's administrative offices

Are you ready to donate? Please contact us at library@sunymaritime.edu or (718) 409-7231 to discuss the process. All donated materials must include a Deed of Gift. For materials you wish to be available online, please also fill out the Maritime Digital Collection Permissions form. 

For general information on the process of donating personal papers to a repository, click here. 

In order to help us care for our collections, researchers who visit the archives will be asked to:

• Make appointments in advance – contact us at library@sunymaritime.edu or (718) 409-7231. 
• Show a current ID
• Leave coats, bags, food, and drink outside of the research room
• Bring only pencils, notebook, and laptops in the research room
• Wash hands before handling materials
• Use cradles for volumes
• Keep manuscripts and records flat
• Retain order in folders and boxes
• Not use flash when photographing materials
• Use only one box at a time on the table
• Ask the archivist if you aren’t sure about something

Users may request digital reproductions of up to 10 pages from our collections to support private research and scholarship. 

• The College Archives may decline to offer reproductions services for items that would be harmed by the digitization process or for which the library does not own the proper equipment to digitize the item safely.
• Materials are scanned at 300 DPI and saved as either PDFs or JPEGS. Files can be shared electronically or printed and mailed. 
  • Orders of 10 pages or less will be fulfilled within three weeks.
• Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
  • ​NOTICE: WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
  • This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a reproduction order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

For more information or to make a request, please contact us:

Phone: (718) 409-7231 Email: library@sunymaritime.edu