Once you have discovered an accession you would like to view, check the Conditions of access and use area in the accession record to ensure the material is not restricted. You can find further information regarding access to State records at the Museums of History NSW, or ask a reference archivist.

You are encouraged to arrange a time with a reference archivist before visiting, so that they have time to check access and collect the desired items. 

Please keep in mind that consuming food and beverages is not permitted near archive items, and the use of pencils is preferrable over pens. You may also be required to wear gloves depending on the age and composition of the item. 

Note there is a certain amount of serendipity involved in discovering relevant items to your research. The best way to ensure discovering useful information for your research is to rely on quality secondary sources, thoroughly checking Regional Archive accession finding aids, and discussing your research topic with the reference archivist. 

AtoM is the search tool for finding archival items at the Charles Sturt University Regional Archives. In AtoM you will find the descriptions of papers, photographs, books, films, maps, etc. In some cases, accession items have been digitised for you to view within AtoM.

Search tips to narrow your results:

• Use double quotation marks to find an exact phrase.
• Try an asterisk to truncate your search words. 
• Add a Boolean AND to find results with two search words;
• a Boolean OR to find results with either search word;
• or a Boolean NOT to find results by excluding search words.

You can also search Regional Archives online via Primo Search. Once you have started a search in Primo, filter Resource Type to Regional Archive Collection to limit results to Regional Archive.

Some accessions are not publicly available. For more help with searching the database, please contact our Reference Archivist on 0497 529 690 or archive@csu.edu.au.

Many archival documents will follow the same APA 7 referencing guidelines stipulated in the Charles Sturt University APA Referencing Summary and Academic Referencing Tool (ART). Both guides provide instruction for referencing personal communications, and the official APA Style website provides guidance for referencing Archival Documents and Collections.