We welcome all reference requests and inquiries about Catholic University and our collections. You may send a reference inquiry by sending an e-mail, or by calling us at 202-319-5065.

On site Reference Service

The Reading Room is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (though we ask researchers to prepare to leave at 3:50 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except University Holidays. During the summer (May-August), the Reading Room is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and by appointment only on Fridays.

While appointments are not necessary, we do encourage you to call first. Calling ahead will allow ACUA staff to retrieve materials in advance and have them ready in the Reading Room when you arrive so that you can make the most of your time during your visit. Also due to class visits, the Reading Room hours be periodically restricted during the academic year. Members of the Archives staff will be available to guide you through your research. Staff will not be able to retrieve records after 4:15 p.m. Also, some of our collections are stored off site and retrieval of these may take up to 72 hours.

Off site Reference Service

For patrons unable to visit the Reading Room, the reference staff can spend no more than 20 minutes of research in the collections. This research is limited to specific look-up and retrieval. Staff cannot perform general research and patrons who submit requests requiring more than 20 minutes of staff time will be asked to do the additional research in person or hire an independent research assistant. Please see the following for information about reproducing our materials.

We do provide photoduplication services for remote researchers, but do have a limit of 5 folder requests per quarter (every three months) per researcher.