RARE BOOKS POLICY

Please contact Arevig Caprielian
at (212) 288-6900 x242
for an appointment.

• Rare Books and Materials do not circulate.
• Rare Books and Materials are made available for use in the Fourth Floor Marshall Room only.
• Rare Books and Materials are made available Monday through Friday during Library hours.
• Readers are generally accommodated from 9:30 am until 4:00 pm.
• Readers will not be admitted to the Marshall Room after 3:15 pm, and materials will be collected for reshelving at 4:00 pm.
• Availability may be further limited due to staffing shortages on particular days or times. For example, a lunch break may be necessitated on days when there is insufficient staffing to maintain a continuous staff presence in the Cataloging Dept.
• It is advisable to make an appointment to use Rare Books and Materials in advance whenever possible. The Library thus has ample time to locate the materials and can readily accommodate a reader's needs.
• Non-members may consult Rare Books and Materials after confirming their scholarly interests with the Head Librarian or an equivalent.

Finding aids:

• Rare Books and Materials are indexed in the card catalog in the First Floor Reference Room. Access is primarily through main entry author or title; there is no subject access.
• A limited number of Rare Book titles are indexed in the Library's online catalog; these titles have been fully cataloged and access is provided through main entry author or title, alternative title, added entry author and subject heading.

 
Rare Books and Materials readers are requested to complete a call slip for each title.

• These call slips are available at the Circulation Desk and in the Reference Room on the large table.
• Please provide all the requested information: reader name and address; author and title of work; and call number. These slips should then be directed to the Circulation Desk.
• The Circulation Department will then relay the information to the Cataloging Department. The Cataloging Department will retrieve the requested material and notify the Circulation Department when the material is ready for use.
• A member of the Circulation Department will then escort the reader first to a locker and then to the Marshall Room.

 
Some general rules in the use of Rare Books and Materials

• Before entering the Marshall Room, readers must leave coats, briefcases, large bags, newspapers, etc. in either an assigned locker or a closet.
• Readers are requested to sign the Guest Log before they begin working.
• The use of pens is strictly prohibited at all times; kindly use the pencils that are provided.
• Readers should not turn pages with a pencil in hand. Pages should be turned from the lower corner and should never be smoothed or pressed flat.
• Foam cradles are provided in many cases to preserve the fragile bindings of these rare volumes. Please refrain from overhandling these fragile volumes; use them gently and keep them in the cradle.
• Velvet snakes and glass paperweights are also provided to gently keep a volume open to a specific page. These should be placed gently at the edge or corner of a fragile book. Please refrain from using anything else to hold down book pages.
• Cotton or latex gloves are also available at either reader request or per Library policy.
• Laptop computers may be used in the Marshall Room. Please advise the Cataloging Department of your intent and an electrical outlet will be provided for your needs.
• The taking of photographs requires prior permission from the Head Librarian. Please make special arrangements for a photography session. The use of certain types of bright lights may be prohibited.
• Photocopies of Rare Books and Materials are generally not provided, as most of these materials are fragile and could sustain binding and/or paper damage from the copy process.

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