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 Visiting Us - COVID-19

To ensure continued access to the collections at the Borthwick Institute, crucial work is being undertaken over the summer to install new equipment and to update the shelving units upon which our collections are stored.

As part of this work, a significant number of records (about 5,000 boxes) have been transferred to temporary offsite storage. Records can be recalled but the process can take some time. We would therefore ask that you notify us of the specific records (files/items) you wish to consult at least seven working days in advance of a proposed date of visiting (and ideally as early as possible). This provides staff with time to check the status of the requested records and to recall records held offsite if necessary. We unfortunately cannot guarantee researchers access to their required records if we receive these requests at shorter notice/on the day of their visit.

If planning a trip to the Institute over the summer, we therefore strongly recommend contacting us as soon as possible to discuss your research needs. For this same reason we advise researchers not to book accommodation, travel etc until their booking at the Institute has been confirmed.In response to COVID-19, we’ve made some changes to the way we operate. These changes are intended to help create a safe environment for both visitors and staff so that we can keep our doors open and all get back to the work we love.

The guidance below will help you prepare for your visit. We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your patience and cooperation as we continue to navigate these unprecedented circumstances.

Please visit the University's transport pages for information on getting here and information on parking, buses, cycle routes etc. 

Please refer to our accessibility information web page if you have any accessibility requirements.

Essential Information

• Access to the archives (including our microform readers) during our staffed hours is by appointment only. We recommend giving us as much notice as possible to ensure we can accommodate your visit.
• Microfilms no longer need to be requested in advance of appointments, however original archives will still need to be pre-ordered. Please note that for some archival material, we require a minimum of 24 hours' notice before your appointment. 
• Contact information must be provided at the point of booking.
• For the safety of you and all visitors and staff, we strongly recommend that you please wear a face covering throughout your appointment.

Please do not book or attend an appointment if you have any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), if you are awaiting a test result, or if you have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

Opening times

For visitors to the Borthwick we are open Monday to Wednesday from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Please note that the searchroom and microform room are closed between 12.30pm and 1.30pm to allow us to clean tables and prepare work spaces for afternoon appointments. 

For the safety of our visitors and staff, we are limiting the number of appointments available. There are two bookable sessions each day. These are from 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm. All-day appointments can be booked subject to availability.

From Monday 28 February 2022, the microform room will be open to researchers at weekends (08:00-midnight) and weekday evenings (16:30-midnight). Please see under ‘Weekend and Evening Access to the Microform Room’ section for more details.

Booking an appointment

Please contact us to book an appointment, either via email or phone:

• borthwick-institute@york.ac.uk
• 01904 321166

Ordering documents

• We ask that you continue to pre-order the original documents you'd like to consult when you make your booking.
• A limited number of additional original documents can be ordered during your visit, at set retrieval times (10.45am and 2.45pm). Please note that maps, plans and photographic material cannot be requested on the day.
• Due to increased scientific research into COVID-19 transmission, and changes in government guidance, it is no longer necessary for us to quarantine documents and microfilms between users.
• Microfilms are now available through self-service retrieval. 
• Use our online catalogue to search our holdings. If you can’t find what you need or have any questions, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.

What to do when you arrive

We're based in the University of York Library, on the Heslington West campus.  Unless you are exempt from doing so, we strongly recommend wearing a face covering when inside the Library.

Please tell staff at the Library entrance that you have an appointment at the Borthwick. Staff will also be available to direct you to the Borthwick reception and searchroom.

• Please sanitise your hands using the stations provided.
• At the Borthwick reception, please give your name so that we can confirm your attendance.
• You are welcome to take a pencil, loose notepaper, a laptop, phone and/or camera into the searchroom with you. Please note that a photography permit will be required in order to take photographs. Staff can provide more information if this is of interest to you.
• Please take the time to familiarise yourself with our Searchroom Regulations (PDF , 162kb).
• Please place all other personal belongings in allocated lockers. 

In the searchroom

• You will be allocated a table or microfilm reader as booked and asked to read our Visitor Guidance.
• Due to the new Covid variant, the Government's face-covering guidance has changed. As of 29th November 2021, it is strongly recommended that face coverings should be worn in all communal areas by all staff, students and visitors (unless you are exempt). You will need to provide your own face covering.
• All the documents that you ordered will be available at your table for you to work through.
• At the end of your visit, please leave all documents on your table.
• Please be aware of other visitors and staff and maintain a safe distance at all times.
• Hand sanitiser stations will be available for you to use during your visit.
• Unfortunately, we won’t be able to provide pencils and note paper.
• Please help us accommodate as many visitors as possible by vacating your table promptly at the end of your appointment.

Weekend and Evening Access to the Microform Room

Researchers wishing to consult microform records outside of our staffed hours can now do so on weekends (08:00-midnight) and weekday evenings (16:30-midnight). The microform room can be accessed via the first floor landing in the Raymond Burton Library.

Bookings cannot be taken for access to the microform room during these hours. The digital microform readers, from which digital copies of the records can be taken by bringing along a USB/Memory Stick, are therefore available only on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. We do however have several traditional, hand-operated microfilm readers in the event that all the digital readers are in use.

Please be aware that no staff support will be available during these hours. In the microform room, there are printed instructions available on how to use the digital microform readers, as well as finding aids for our principal microform collections. You can also find digitised copies of these finding aids on our website.

What remote services are on offer?

We will be able to respond to enquiries via email, telephone, post and social media during this time. For more extensive enquiries, our searching service has now resumed. Our copying service continues to be available but please note that the copying of original probate files remains temporarily suspended.

Our online catalogue - Borthcat - is still available.

Email: borthwick-institute@york.ac.uk 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uoyborthwick 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UoYBorthwick 

How can I get access to your resources remotely?

Many of our Parish registers, Bishops’ Transcripts and Marriage Bonds and Allegations are available via Find My Past, and our Cause Papers, Archbishops' Registers, and Retreat hospital archive are available, for free, 24/7 online.