Using the Reading Room
All new readers must register to use the Houghton Reading Room or the Harvard Theatre Collection Reading Room by completing a registration form and presenting two forms of identification which should include a photograph and a current address.* Readers must renew their registration every two years.
The Reading Room is exclusively for the use of Houghton material. A cloakroom and lockers are provided for all personal property not essential for research. The use of pens is not permitted in the Reading Room. Pencils and paper are available at the Reading Room desk. For details, please see What do I bring into the Reading Room?
We encourage the use of laptop computers and provide power sources and surge protectors at each table. Wireless is also available to Harvard ID holders. See Network Access for details. In order to preserve relative quiet for our readers, we ask computer users to turn off all audible features if possible. Readers who need to work with specially equipped machines, including text-to-speech, should contact Reading Room staff via e-mail in advance to be sure of accommodations.
Cell phones must be turned off.
Guidelines for Handling Special Collections must be conscientiously followed. These are established by the library for the preservation of materials.
For photoduplication service, please consult Reading Room staff. In general, copy requests are initiated at Houghton via e-mail, and processed by Harvard College Library Imaging Services. Photographic cameras, digital cameras**, optical scanners, and tape recorders are not permitted in the Reading Room. Reproductions of Harvard College Library materials are subject to Licensing and Copyright restrictions. Photoduplication inquiries must be made at least half an hour before closing.
Books and manuscripts must not be removed from the Reading Room. Readers fill out call-slips to request collection items and are responsible for all material charged out to them until they return it to the Reading Room desk. The number of items called for at one time may be limited at the discretion of the staff. Paging ends half an hour before closing, and all material must be returned to the desk 15 minutes before closing.
Readers must show all personal items to the staff each time they exit. Readers must return their locker keys to the guard each time they exit the building.
*Registration and circulation records are kept in perpetuity. These records are kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. Names of readers using Emerson collections and New Directions collections are shared with the boards of trustees for those collections.
**A pilot program allowing the use of digital cameras will begin 15 October 2007. See Digital Camera Use Policy.
