Rare and valuable material should be handled with great care. That is why we ask every visitor to obey the following house rules.

General

  • Upon arrival in the Special Collections Reading Room please report to the desk. A staff member will register your details in our visitors log.
  • Consultation is only possible after making an appointment. If you arrive unannounced, the library staff cannot ensure immediate service.
  • Food and drinks are not allowed in the reading room.
  • Coats and bags are preferably stored in the lockers on the ground floor or left in the cupboards at the entrance to the reading room.

Handling valuable material

  • To consult a book use thebook rests and snake weights that are available in the reading room.
  • Only pencils and laptops may be used for taking notes. Other writing material is not allowed.
  • It is not permitted to lean on the books, to hold them in your lap or against the edge of the table.
  • Open volumes should never be laid face down on the table.
  • To mark a place in a book you can use the acid-free paper strips that are available at the reading room desk. The use of other materials (post-its, etc.) is not allowed.
  • The consulted works may never leave the room under any condition whatsoever.
  • The material you are consulting should not be left unattended. If you wish to leave the reading room for a longer period of time, you must hand in the material at the desk.