Research your RTJ, Sr. Golf Course Records in the Robert Trent Jones Collection at Cornell University in Itchica, NY
To search the entire database click on the finding aid and use “Ctrl F” to open a search box that will appear at the lower left of the page and enter your search term (e.g. “Old Warson Country Club” or “Ladue, MIssouri”. Before starting your search, be sure to check the “Highlight All” box option to the right of the search box for best results.
- Search Results
Search results will show highlighted terms (box and folder numbers, Tube numbers and pertinent years) AND red horizontal lines in the right-hand column indicating the location of additional documents. This will give you confirmation of all materials for your course that are in the RTJ Collection. - Refining Search Results
The initial search cannot tell you the specific contents of folders or Tubes. To gain this level of detail, contact the Cornell Library (rareref@cornell.edu) or 607-255-3530 and explain the scope of your project. We will examine the folders/Tubes on your behalf and give you a written summary about the contents contained therein.
Note that folders can contain hundreds of pages so we cannot provide a list of every single item in a folder, but we can let you know if it is mostly correspondence or drawings or plans or photographs or any other type of records.
Tubes contain course plans and architectural drawings and volume can vary. Some Tubes contain just an overall course plan but most have drawings of specific holes and green complexes and it is common to find plans for irrigation , roads, topographical maps, clubhouses and other course elements. - Timetable
The Collection is very large with hundreds of boxes, folders and Tubes. It is stored in an offsite facility. Requests for specific boxes take several days to arrive at the Library. If the Library staff is fully-active handling requests from Cornell faculty, staff or students, those requests take priority over other work.
However, there are experienced local freelancers who have access to the Cornell Library and who are available to work on your project. Just ask the Cornell staff for contact details and costs. - Permission Process
Another important element of working with this Collection is a permission process involving the Jones family. Requests for digitized scans of material involving any drawing or sketch or part of a course requires permission from the Jones family, as does any request that involves restoration, repair or renovation or change to the course. Our Library will send you the template the Jones family requires to use in making any request of a restorative or renovation nature, along with instructions for completing it.
Requests for scanned items to be used as decorative or informative items in a clubhouse or proshop or other golf course facility do require the same permission process but can be reviewed and approved very expeditiously. - Scanning and Digitization
Once a decision is made by the researcher as to which materials are to be digitized, completing the scan requests is an involved process and can take weeks to complete.
Scans of single pages up to 12×17, (i.e, correspondence, contracts or standard-page size drawings) are done at 300 dpi and cost $1.00 per page.
Oversized items (which are all course plans or other Tube contents) must be sent to the Library’s digitization Lab. Many items will require conservation treatment before they can be scanned in sections and then “stitched” together to make one image.
Normal scanning of large documents is done at 600 dpi but can go higher or lower if needed. The hourly rate is $65/hour so a handful of 3’x4′ documents should run $100-250.
Both the digitization lab and the conservation department treat materials for the entire Cornell Library System so they deal with a large volume of orders and this affects delivery times. - Payment
When all items for scanning/digitization have been selected and ordered, a total cost payment will be presented to the researcher. Payment must be received in advance before any scanning proceeds.
Once payment is received and an order has been completed, all digitized materials will be available to the researcher via a DropBox account for storage and sharing of files amongst your team. There is no charge for the DropBox account.. - On-site Searching
A researcher can choose to visit the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC) at the Cornell University Library in Ithica, NY in person and personally review all pertinent documents.
This presents an opportunity to do a complete review of documents in a matter of days, begin the Permissions process and possibly make a decision about the scanning of certain documents.
The timing of your visit and details about local accommodations can be arranged with Library staff. Summer months allow greater attention from Library staff when students are on summer-break.
All pertinent boxes, folders and Tubes will be made available in advance of your scheduled visit.
Again, Library staff can be contacted at rareref@cornell.edu or 607-255-3530.
Assistance from the Robert Trent Jones Society is available at any time by contacting our Historian at 314-452-4083.
