Access
We encourage anyone interested in materials from the Naylor Archive to reach out with requests. The Archive is a collaborative space, and all are welcome to explore the physical and digital collection. The Archive Team is open to building knowledge and community with anyone engaged with Naylor’s work.
Physical Access
The Gloria Naylor Archive is open to researchers. You will need to make an appointment for your visit by emailing reference@sacredheart.edu. To plan your visit and get a sense of the collection’s holdings, you may want to consult our finding aid in advance. For additional questions about your research project, please feel free to email our staff.
The complete collection can be consulted in person at the Ryan Matura Library at Sacred Heart University: 5151 Park Ave, Fairfield, CT 06825.
Archive Hours
Monday-Friday: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Online Access
As of Summer 2023, we have digitized most of the materials in Series 2. Please contact us to inquire about accessing the digitized documents. If you’ve already contacted us regarding access, you can find the documents here.
Reproductions shared by the Gloria Naylor Archive should not be further reproduced, sold, shared, or given to another person, company, or institution for any purpose without the written permission of Sacred Heart University. Anyone who would like to view digitized materials is invited to contact us directly at innaylor@lehigh.edu.
Policies
Privacy Considerations
The collection may include sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers bear sole responsibility for educating themselves about the legal and ethical issues pertaining to the disclosure of sensitive information about identifiable living individuals represented in the collection.
We respect the privacy of still-living individuals represented in the archive, especially those who were not involved in decisions about the disposition of the materials. Please let us know if you encounter sensitive information.
Your Privacy
We respect the privacy of visitors to the archive. In order to respond efficiently to inquiries, the Archive Team records the visitors’ names and contact details and the nature of their requests. This information is only available to on-site members of the Archive Team. Any visitor who wishes to have their information removed from this document should email us, and we will do our best to accommodate your request. We do sometimes share anonymized summary reports about the number and type of requests we receive, as part of applications for funding.
Copyright
The materials in the collection are subject to all copyright laws, and the Gloria Naylor Estate retains copyright for materials created by Gloria Naylor. Neither Sacred Heart University nor Lehigh University are the copyright holders. Unpublished materials in the archive are subject to fair use standards and likewise remain under copyright protection.
Researchers are solely responsible for determining what copyright restrictions apply and for seeking permissions from rights holders. For materials created by Gloria Naylor, permissions inquiries should be directed to: Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., 115 Broadway, New York, NY 10006 or info@sll.com.
Community Values
The Gloria Naylor Archive community is a space of mutual respect and kindness. We commit ourselves to these community values and strive to uphold them everything that we do. We hold ourselves accountable to each other and to our visitors.
We will:
- Avoid, amend, and disrupt racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist behaviors and comments.
- Remain attentive to structural inequalities in all of our interactions, including an awareness of the ways that archives have historically excluded people with marginalized identities
- Respect and affirm the gender identities of all people in the Archive at all times.
- Make our spaces accessible to people with disabilities.
- Confront and reject discrimination in all its forms: unwelcome comments and behaviors concerning appearance, physical and cognitive ability, gender identity and expression, marital status, national and ethnic origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sexuality, socio-economic status, employment and military status.
We ask that visitors to the Archive observe these community values as well. We may ask visitors who do not uphold these values to change their behavior or, in extreme cases, to leave the Archive.
We invite visitors and staff whose experiences in the Archive do not reflect these community values to contact Suzanne Edwards (sme6@lehigh.edu). As Director of the Gloria Naylor Archive at Lehigh University, she can talk with you, connect you with resources, and take action in terms of Archive policies, practices, and training. To report bias and harassment, visitors and staff may also contact Lehigh’s Equal Opportunity Compliance Office (eocc@lehigh.edu).
The Physical Space
The Gloria Naylor Archive is located in the Sacred Heart University Library (Ryan Matura Library) on Sacred Heart University’s main campus. In addition tot he materials, the room includes a counter-height table with one chair and shelving to store personal items while in the archive.
If you need or prefer a regular height table, please email us to reserve that space during your planned visit.
The Sacred Heart Library is wheelchair accessible. The building has a ramp at the main entrance. There is also an elevator of the main level to the archive on the upper level.
Accessible restrooms are available on all levels of the Ryan Matura Library. The library has three gender-inclusive restrooms. Two are located on the main level, and one is located on the lower level of the library.
Please contact us if you have further questions about the physical space or about Sacred Heart University.
Just as Gloria Naylor was inspired by Ntozake Shange, we have been inspired by the Ntozake Shange Papers and Barnard College‘s policies on use, privacy, and accessibility.