Reading Room Procedures

Upon Arrival

Upon arrival, you will be required to sign in and agree to our Policies Governing Use statement.
All personal belongings must be stowed in a locker. Pencils, paper, and or/laptops are permitted in the reading room
Since spills could permanently damage our irreplaceable materials, no food or drink of any kind, including water, is allowed. There are water fountains just a few steps outside our doors or the 1st floor café is available should you feel the need for a bit of refreshment.

Viewing Our Materials

The stacks are closed to the public, so you will need to complete a call slip to request the materials you wish to see. Special Collections staff will retrieve the items from the shelf and bring them to you at the desk.
You must submit a photo ID with your call slip. We will hold the ID while you are using our materials and will return it when you complete your research and have returned all books and documents to us.
You must use a lead (erasable) pencil or laptop to take notes; we do not allow the use of ink pens. If you don't have a pencil, you may borrow one of ours. Electrical outlets are located within a cord's length of study tables.
You will be limited to one box at a time when using manuscript or archival documents.
You may be required to wear gloves (which we will supply) or wash hands upon arrival.

Photocopies and Scans

Our staff will do all photocopying or scanning but we reserve the right to refuse to copy if we feel the materials are too fragile or if other restrictions apply. Flashless photos may be taken of some documents, but please ask first. We will copy or scan only materials from our collections; you will have to use the coin-op machines located throughout the building or scanners in ITC for everything else. See Copy Policies for copy charges and for provisions of the copyright laws under which we operate.