Author(s): Katalin Cseh-Varga (2016) – last update: 2018-04-19.
Founded by Herbert Hoover in 1919, the Hoover Institution Library & Archives are dedicated to documenting war, revolution and peace in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. With nearly one million volumes and more than six thousand archival collections from 171 countries, Hoover supports a vibrant community of scholars and a broad public interest in the meaning and role of history.
Contact
Hoover Institution Archives
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford, CA 94305
USA
Archival information: tel. +1 650-723-3563
Email: hooverarchives@stanford.edu or spatton@stanford.edu (Sarah Patton, Archivist for Public Services)
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 8:15 – 16:45 (closed for holidays)
Website
https://www.hoover.org/library-archives
How to find the Archive sites
Hoover Institution Library & Archives are located at Stanford University campus.
How to plan and to prepare a visit
Please, consult the Hoover Institution Library & Archives website.
Registration
The Hoover Institution welcomes all researchers to its library and archival reading rooms. To request materials, researchers must first register and create an account with Aeon, the Hoover L&A Request System. For assistance with Aeon please read the Hoover Library & Archive Guide to Aeon (.pdf) or the Aeon FAQ.
To access the archives, you will have to show your passport or ID card in order to complete the registration process. During your first visit, your photo will be taken to create your L&A reader card.
Reading Room rules and regulations
- Before entering the reading room, visitors are asked to leave their coat, bags, etc. in the cloakroom. Jackets with pockets, including suit jackets, are not allowed. Consider bringing a sweater, as the room is sometimes chilly, even in the summer.
- Laptop computers, cameras, cell phones, reference books and pencils are generally allowed. Please note that electronic devices are not permitted with certain collections. All other items, including pens, coats, hats, purses, research materials, notebooks, notepaper, food and beverages can be stored in lockers adjoining the reading room.
- Cameras are permitted. Camera stands, tripods, scanners and other equipment are not allowed.
- All items removed from the reading room must be inspected by an archives staff member.
- Materials should be ordered in advance in your Aeon account by selecting the date of your visit. They encourage you to submit requests at least 48 hours in advance as not all material is immediately available. You may check your Aeon account to find out when material is available (status will display as “Item Ready for Use”).
- You may have 20 active requests at one time and save an unlimited number of requests for later. Once retrieved, materials will be held for 48 hours. Requests submitted before noon, Monday through Friday, are usually available after 10 am the next business day. Requests submitted after noon, Monday through Friday, or over the weekend, are usually available in two business days.
Archive databases & Online finding aids
- More than 6,000 collections are described on the Online Archives of California (OAC) collection guides
- Off-site collections are listed here.
Practical advice
- If you require advice on how to enter the USA, please visit the US Customs and Border Protection page. Thirty-eight countries are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA), which allows citizens to travel to the USA on tourism or business for stays up to 90 days without a visa if they meet all requirements.
- There are power sockets in the reading room.
- A self-service photocopy machine is available in the reading room. Copies are $0.15 each. The machine accepts one and five dollar bills and coins. Materials that would be damaged by duplication may not be copied.
- To listen to sound recordings or view videos or films, please contact Jim Sam (sound recordings) or Vishnu Jani (video and film) at least two working days before your visit. They will advise you on the accessibility of the materials that you wish to use. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible.
- There is a room for breaks, where you can eat lunch.
- A ten-minute walk from the Hoover Tower, there are many restaurants and snack bars;
- Limitations in staff hours prevents the Hoover Institution Library & Archives from conducting extensive searches involving detailed research or selection of documents for photocopying. The archives, however, maintains a list of graduate students and others who are willing to conduct such research for a fee. To request a copy of the list, please contact hooverarchives@stanford.edu.
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