Please read the following and make sure the information provided on this form is up to date and accurate. 

Access to Reading Rooms

1. No bags may be taken into the Reading Rooms. These should be placed on the shelves immediately inside the door.

2. Outdoor coats and jackets must be placed on the shelves in the Reading Room.

Consideration of others

Special Collections is an environment in which both staff and Readers must be able to work without disturbance or fear of abuse. Therefore:

1. Please treat staff and other Readers with courtesy and respect at all times.

2. Consider other Readers and behave in a way that does not disturb them and respects their privacy. If it is necessary to talk, please do so quietly.

3. Mobile phones must either be turned off or on silent mode. Calls must not be made or received and texting kept to a minimum.

4. All other equipment such as laptop computers, cameras and pagers must be on silent and headphones inaudible to other Readers.

Using the collection

Special Collections has established procedures for the use of its collections to help ensure that they are adequately protected. Please observe these guidelines and those displayed in the Reading Room.

1. Collection items must not be removed from the Special Collections reading rooms or the Archives Lab except by a member of staff.

2. Collection items are your responsibility at all times when in use by you.

3. All collection items must be returned to a member of staff when asked to do so by any member of Special Collections staff or at closing.

4. Collection items must not be passed to another person when issued in your name. Neither should you use items issued to another Reader.

5. A maximum of two collection items may be consulted at a single time.

Looking after and copying the collections

Special Collections has an obligation to preserve its collection for the users of today and in the future. 

1. Utmost care must be taken of all materials in the Special Collections. All use increases wear and tear to collection items so please reduce the risk by limiting copying to what you need for reference purposes only and handling items as little as possible.

2. Pencils only must be used once inside the Reading Rooms. No pens are permitted.

3. Writing in or marking collection material is not permitted in any form.

4. Items that could harm the collections are not allowed in the Reading Rooms. These include, but are not limited to: pens, sticky notes, food, drinks, sweets (including cough sweets), chewing gum, glue, bottles of ink, correction fluid, cleaning liquids, scissors, knives (including craft knives and razor blades), highlighter pens, scanner pens, portable scanners, adhesive tape, and umbrellas.

5. Tracings or rubbings are not permitted, unless prior written permission is obtained from the Head of Special Collections.

6. Readers must comply with current copyright legislation. Readers are liable for any copies they make that infringe copyright, intellectual property or other proprietary rights.

In addition, a number of the items in Special Collections contain personal data related to living individuals. Information protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) will not be made available to the general public but only to the appropriate campus offices.

Complaints and Disclaimers

Special Collections aims to provide an excellent service. Should you wish to comment on or complain about anything please speak to the Head of Special Collections or other administrative offices within the Aubrey R. Watzek Library. 

If you are a Reader who may need special assistance to use the Reading Rooms, please speak to a member of staff.