The mission of the Galveston and Texas History Center is to collect, preserve, and make available to the public historic records of Galveston and early Texas. Many of the materials in the History Center are unique and fragile. The purpose of the following regulations and guidelines is to preserve historically valuable materials for future generations.

The History Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

1. ALL patrons must register at the front desk.

2. ALL purses, briefcases, notebooks, notepads, clipboards, folders, binders, library books, and other personal property must be LOCKED at all time in the lockers provided. No more than three loose sheets of paper may be kept out for reference. 

3. Paper and pencils will be provided. NO PENS ARE ALLOWED. 

4. NO FOOD OR DRINK ARE ALLOWED, including bottled water, chewing gum and hard candy. 

5. Please TURN OFF all cell phones and set beepers to vibrate only. 

6. History Center materials may not be checked out or removed. 

7. No more than three books or folders will be pulled at one time. 

8. All patrons will complete a request form for each item. 

9. When using primary source materials, gloves will be provided. Turn pages very carefully and keep materials resting flat on the table at all times. DO NOT HOLD UP ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OR OTHER MATERIALS. DO NOT TOUCH THE SURFACE OF THESE ITEMS. 

10. Do not lean on, make new folds, or set items on top of original materials. 

11. All elementary school children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times. 

12. No materials will be pulled after 4:45 p.m. 

13. Photocopying will be at the discretion of the archivist. Maps or other oversized items will NOT be photocopied. Staff will handle all rare and fragile items. 

14. Be selective in choosing what it to be photocopied. You will be limited to copies representing less than 25% of a collection. 

15. When photocopying is allowed, the researcher will assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights and libel.