An unprocessed collection means the contents of the collection (or portions of the collection) have not been fully organized, rehoused, or described by our archivists. However, if you have discovered the collection in our catalog, it likely means we do allow full or partial access to it. Please note that some material may be restricted for access due to condition, location, staff availability, confidentiality and/or other factors. Depending on the nature of your request, additional time may be required to prepare the collection for your visit.

When accessing unprocessed collection material, we ask that you take special care to leave the materials as you find them, disrupting the original order as little as possible. You may be asked to take additional precautions depending on the physical makeup or contents of the material.

Contact specialcollections@northwestern.edu to request access to an unprocessed collection.