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Access to Special Collections
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The Special Collections Reading Room is open to the LSU community and both U.S. and international researchers. All visitors using Special Collections materials must create an LSU research account prior to or upon their arrival: https://specialcollections.lib.lsu.edu/logon.  

Please verify our Special Collections Reading Room hours before your visit. Appointments are required for Saturday visitors and recommended for weekday visitors. Appointments can be scheduled through your LSU research account up to 30 days in advance. Researchers are encouraged to review Special Collections’ policies before visiting.  

The Special Collections Reading Room is located in the LSU Quad at 95 Fieldhouse Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70803. The front entrance to the library faces the quad and is ADA accessible. Visitor parking passes are required on weekdays for those without an LSU parking tag.

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reading room
Special Collection Policies
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Learn about reading room policies and handling guidelines.
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Special Collections Duplication
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Fee-based duplication services for personal or research use.
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Requesting Materials
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Researchers may request materials to view in the Special Collections Reading Room using the library catalog (restrict the “library” field to “Special Collections” for more accurate results). When an item of interest is found in the catalog, select the title, then use the “Request Item” link at the bottom of the page to add the material to your LSU research account. Please submit one request for each box, volume, or serial. 

Special Collections encourages researchers to place requests before arriving at the library. Researchers can submit up to 10 requests; all additional requests can be marked as “Keep for My Review” and can be submitted once the initial requests are fulfilled. Materials requested during a visit are pulled on demand and typically take between 5-15 minutes to be delivered to the reading room.  

Additional guides and search tools are available to help researchers locate materials of interest.  

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Research Guides
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Research guides created to make the most out of LSU resources.
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Policies
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We hope you find LSU Special Collections useful to your research. Please speak to the reference desk staff or submit a ticket through the Special Collections AskUs page if you have any questions about our policies and procedures.  

  • Please create a new LSU Special Collections Request System account or log into your existing account to make an appointment or place requests for materials in the collections.

  • Items that can be taken into the Reading Room include pencils, note paper or notebooks, laptops, tablets/pads, cameras, chargers, and cell phones. Food, drinks, pens, and other personal items like bags, briefcases, purses, laptop or camera cases, outerwear, and umbrellas should be left in a secure locker.  

  • LSU Special Collections materials are non-circulating and can only be used in the Reading Room in Hill Memorial Library.  

  • Some collections are stored off campus and require additional time to retrieve,  typically 3-7 days. Talk to a staff member for assistance in placing requests from remote storage.  

  • Unprocessed collections materials may be used only with permission from a curator. A staff member can assist with this process. 

  • Items currently on exhibit are unavailable for use in research or instruction unless special approval has been requested in advance and agreed upon by library staff.  

  • Patrons may photograph archival and manuscript materials (without flash) after completing a Camera User Policy form, obtained from reference desk staff. 

  • Duplication and digitization services are available.

Due to the rare or fragile nature of our collections, we ask all researchers to handle materials with extra care according to the following guidelines. Thank you for helping us preserve these unique resources.  

  • Ensure hands are clean and dry before using materials.
  • Use only pencils in the Reading Room.
  • Keep materials flat on the tabletop. Please do not mark, alter, fold, lean on, trace materials, or write on note paper with library materials underneath.
  • Use one manuscript box, volume, or reel, or up to five publications at a time.
  • Maintain the existing order of materials in folders; do not remove items from folders.
  • Notify staff if you notice damage of the materials or if items in archival collections appear to be out of order. Do not rearranging the materials yourself.
  • Use the provided gloves wwhen handling photographs.
  • Use the provided book cradles and weights as necessary.
  • Return all items to the reference desk when you are finished with them.
  • Make all belongings available for staff to check when you exit the Reading Room.
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Ask Us
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Check our FAQs, submit a question using our form, or launch the chat widget to find help.