Auraria Library Special and Digital Collections Reading Room

Instructions

To Know Before Your Visit:

• ANYONE can book an appointment with Special and Digital Collections and Archives. You do not have to be affiliated with campus.
• Book an appointment and arrive in a timely manner. A Special Collections staff member must supervise your entire visit, so please be considerate of their time.
• View materials in the Reading Room only. Our materials are non-circulating and cannot be checked out to ensure long-term preservation.
• Have an idea of what materials you would like to view so that we can prepare for your visit. Please ask a Special Collections staff member if you would like assistance with finding materials using our finding aids, catalog, or digital collections. You can also book a consultation for research assistance.

DO:

• Wash and dry your hands before touching materials.
• Handle materials carefully.
• Store bags, coats, and other belongings in a provided locker.
• Keep a resealable water bottle at your locker. Please let the Reading Room attendant know if you need an accommodation made for the water bottle to be kept near you.
• Keep books in a book cradle or pillow to protect the spines.
• Use flexible book snakes or weights to weigh down pages.
• Turn pages slowly, one at a time.
• Keep folder materials flat and in the folders as you turn pages.
• Keep materials in order and return them exactly as you found them in each box. If you are unsure where to return them, ask the Reading Room attendant.
• Use pencil only for note-taking and do not write on materials.
• Use bare, clean hands for paper materials and textiles, and nitrile gloves for photographs, negatives, and artifacts. Please ask for gloves if you need them.
• Use a laptop, phone, camera, or notepad to support your research if needed.
• Take non-flash photographs of materials.
• Let the Reading Room attendant know if you would like to view additional materials.
• Request for small amounts of materials to be digitized. Digitization services vary depending on staff capacity.
• Be respectful and responsive to requests and instructions from the Reading Room attendant.

Ask for help! If you are unsure how to handle a book or item, or encounter something not discussed by the Reading Room attendant, we are happy to help.

DO NOT:

• Use pens, markers, or other permanent writing utensils in the Reading Room.
• Bring glue, tape, sticky notes, or sharp objects into the Reading Room.
• Bring food or beverages that are not water into the Reading Room.
• Dog-ear pages or use anything besides provided bookmarks or book snakes to mark a location.
• Quickly flip through pages.
• Apply hand lotion, sanitizer, or other substances to your hands while using materials. Provided hand sanitizer may be used when washing hands is inaccessible.
• Touch materials with anything on your hands that may transfer to materials.
• Force the book to open to 180 degrees.
• Open folders vertically or in any way that is not flat on the table.
• Use non-approved scanners or photography on materials.