Rules for Use

All Special Collections are non-circulating and must be consulted only in the Reading Room.

Outer wear, umbrellas, purses, briefcases, packages, and the like are not permitted in the research area.

Some Special Collections materials are housed in closed stacks. They are identified through the public catalog and through registers and inventories in Special Collections. On first use of closed stack Special Collections materials, researchers must complete a Research Application. Applications are renewable each year after July 1.

No materials will be paged within fifteen minutes of Special Collections closing time. Only one box or volume (or other unit) will be issued at one time.

All materials must be returned to the staff member on duty before the researcher leaves Special Collections.

Arrangements may be made to reserve materials for continued use.

No food or drink is allowed in the Special Collections Division; smoking is prohibited.

Only pencils may be used in the Nashville Room Reading Room. Ink, ballpoint pens, indelible pencils, and correction fluid are prohibited to avoid damage to materials.

The researcher is responsible for the careful handling of all materials made available. Extra care should be taken in handling large volumes, brittle pages, and in opening folded plates and maps. Manuscripts and books may not be leaned on, written on, altered, folded, traced over, or otherwise handled in any way that may damage them. Book weights to hold pages open are available from the Reading Room staff.

Manuscripts and records are to be maintained in the order in which they are received by the researcher. Material discovered to be out of order should be brought to the attention of the staff member on duty.