Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Musicis currently the largest publicly accessible archive in the world devoted to Springsteen content, dating from 1927 to the present. It serves the research and informational needs of Springsteen fans, educators, researchers, authors and others with a serious interest in Bruce Springsteen’s life, career, and American music history.
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music also hosts academic conferences, exhibits and lectures that capture the essence of American Music.
What materials are in the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
The Archives is currently comprised of books, songbooks, tour books, magazines, fanzines, internet articles, newspaper articles, academic journals and papers, selected printed items, DVDs, CDs, comic books, historic memorabilia, vinyl recordings, textiles, posters, videos, and oral histories.
Where is the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music located?
The Archives is located on the Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
Who can use the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
The Archives are available, by appointment, to researchers, fans, Monmouth University students, faculty, and staff and anyone with an interest in the life and career of Bruce Springsteen. There is no fee to view the Archival Collection.
Do I need to make an appointment?
Yes, the Archives are only accessible by appointment. Appointments should be made at least two weeks in advance by contacting Eileen Chapman by email at echapman@monmouth.edu or by phone at 732 571-3512
What information will I need when requesting an appointment to view the Archives?
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, of which this FAQ section is a part, serves as the locator guide for the Archives and contains box numbers which identify where items are stored. Users are required to provide the appropriate box numbers(s) as part of their request. If you are unsure what materials in the Archives may be of use to you, contact us ahead of time and we can help. You can view as many items as you’d like but the University limits the use of materials to four publications at a time.
What should I expect when I arrive at the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
What you’re going to see is not a museum. What you will see is a research center: a reading room, and four rooms filled with shelving and archival boxes. All of the approximately 37,000 items in the archives are individually filed in archival folders, and each archival folder is filed in an archival box. We are serious about preservation, and about ensuring that these items will be available for a long time to come.
Upon arrival we will ask that you provide a form of identification and abide by the policies of the Archives Collection. You will also be asked to wear protective gloves while handling archival documents
Where can I park when I visit the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
Parking is available in campus parking lot # 23, with the entrance located on Cedar Avenue near the intersection of Norwood Avenue and in front of the Lauren K. Woods Theatre.
What hours are the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music open?
By appointment, the archives are available from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except on holidays.
Can I take photographs of the materials?
Researchers may bring their non-flash digital cameras to the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Reading Room upon receiving prior written permission from the Bruce Springsteen Archives staff. Personal patron scanners are not permitted at any time. All duplication of materials must conform to U.S. copyright laws.
Can I donate material to the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music is pleased to receive new items which complement our archival collection. Potential donors should first check the current holdings list elsewhere on this website to ensure that intended donations are not already in the archives.
If you would like to discuss a donation, please contact Eileen Chapman at 732 571-3512 or echapman@monmouth.edu. The University cannot estimate the value of your donation nor pay shipping costs.
Unless donors ask to remain anonymous, they will be acknowledged by name and hometown on the donor list elsewhere on this website.
Can I check out items from the Collection?
No, all items are non-circulating and must be viewed in the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Reading Room.
Do you have imagery services? How do I access these, and at what cost?
All material from the Archives will be copied by the staff. Copies cost $0.25 for 1-100 copies and $0.30 for each page over 100.
All photocopying will be done in accordance with the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music established rules and regulations. Copies cannot be made from volumes that are tightly bound.
Self-service scanning is not permitted. The staff can provide digital copies of pictorial and printed material from the Archives. Images can be scanned up to 1200 dpi, in black and white or in color, and in the image format of your choice, (Jpeg, tff, etc), The rate for students and employees of Monmouth University is $3.00 per image and the public rate is $5.00 per image. An additional publication fee is applicable for commercial use. Payment may be made by cash, check or money order.
What may I bring in with me when viewing the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Collection?
You may bring a laptop computer, non-flash camera, pencils and loose note paper. All other items including backpacks, briefcases, bags, and notebooks must be stored in the closet of the Reading Room
Are cell phones permitted?
Cell phone use is prohibited in the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American MusicReading Room.
Can I bring food or a drink while viewing the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Collection?
No. Food, drink, chewing gum and tobacco products are prohibited in the Reading Room in order to preserve the life of the artifacts.
Do you offer services for remote researchers?
Reference services up to 30 minutes will be provided free of charge. After that time, Individuals and organizations outside the University will be charged a rate of $25 for 30 minutes.
Is any part of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music available online?
At this time the Archives are not available online.
What are the copyright policies on publishing materials in the Special Collection?
All Archival materials are protected by U.S. Copyright Law and may not be duplicated, published, displayed, exhibited, placed on a website, aired on a television program or video, or used publicly in any other manner without permission from the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music staff. All use of Archival materials must conform to U.S. Copyright Law. If you are unsure about the copyright status of specific items in our Archive, contact us.
I am quoting quite a lot of material or using photographs obtained by you. Do I need permission? Must I pay a use fee?
Please see our statement on copyright above.
How do I cite Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music material?
All reproduced and published items (in print or electronic format) must be credited as follows: “Used by permission of Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, West Long Branch, NJ.”
The website shows many items being available on microfilm. Is microfilm my only option for reading these materials?
Certain physically fragile publications are available only on microfilm, unless special permission is granted by the staff to review original documents.
Who can I contact with other questions regarding use of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music?
Please contact Eileen Chapman by phone at 732 571-3512 or by email at echapman@monmouth.edu.
