Policies

• Museum visitors of high-school age and above may consult the collections of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries and the Art Institute of Chicago Archives by advance appointment only; walk-in appointments are not possible. Younger researchers should contact the reference desk at (312) 443-3666 or reference@artic.edu to inquire about access in advance of their visit.
• Coats, jackets, and umbrellas must be checked in the Reading Room prior to seating for your research appointment.
• No food or drink is allowed inside the reading room.
• Please turn off or silence your cell phone while using the reading room.
• All briefcases, bags, parcels, satchels, and loose books and papers will be inspected when leaving the reading room.
• Only pencils may be used in the reading room. Use of pens, ink, markers, and erasable ink is not permitted. Pencils are available at all public desks.
• Tracing from or writing on collection materials is not permitted.
• Do not write on books, mark pages, or use Post-Its on collection materials.
• Laptops may be used in the Reading Room. Free wireless is available without a password, and outlets are available beneath all study tables.
• Patrons consulting special collection materials and archival materials may require additional supervision with viewing and handling those items.
• The libraries and archives attempt to make our original documents available to patrons; in a few cases the fragility of the originals has necessitated a microfilm, photograph, or photocopy surrogate for patron use.
• Researchers who are studying items in their collections are welcome to bring in photographs of those items, but should not not bring any art objects into the museum.

Researchers agree to follow the museum’s safety and security guidelines in addition to established reading room policies, including:

• Researchers must wear a mask for the duration of their research appointments.
• Please do not move reading room chairs and please keep a six-foot distance from Research Center staff and other researchers.
• Please cancel your appointment if you are feeling ill or exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms. Appointments may be cancelled by emailing libraryappt@artic.edu or archivesappt@artic.edu, or by calling (312) 443-3665. Research Center staff will work with you to reschedule your appointment as quickly as possible.
• Visitors from outside Chicago are subject to the policies and procedures outlined in the City of Chicago’s travel advisory.

• Processed archival collections are included in the online catalog and are available to museum visitors by advance appointment only; walk-in appointments are not possible.
• The researcher agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Art Institute of Chicago, its officers and employees, from and against all claims and actions arising out of the researcher’s use of the documents.
• Researchers must complete the pre-registration process and submit their request for materials four (4) business days prior to arrival on-site. Information regarding this process will be provided to researchers along with their appointment confirmation. If these steps are not completed within four (4) business days, appointments will be canceled.
• Archival materials must be consulted in the assigned locations in the reading room and may at no time be removed from the premises. No smoking, eating, or drinking is allowed in these areas.
• Collections may be unavailable for research due to incomplete organization or description; condition issues; possible violation of right to privacy or correspondents; or the Art Institute of Chicago’s reservation of first rights to publication of current projects.

• The use of personal scanners is not allowed in the reading room.
• The use of professional photography equipment, including tripods, lighting equipment, and copy stands, is not permitted in the reading room.
• Digital photography of non-archival items is permitted, but please turn off the camera’s flash.
• Archival materials may not be photographed without consulting the reference desk staff and completing the Permission to Photograph Archival Collections form (available at the reference desk). Restricted and unprocessed materials may not be photographed for any reason without the explicit permission of archives staff.

Photography services are available. Please see the reference desk for assistance.

• Please familiarize yourself with our policies prior to your visit.
• When you have requested an appointment to review Research Center materials, staff will respond to you within two (2) business days with a confirmation of your appointment that includes a login for the online catalog. You will need to login to place requests for up to ten (10) items to review during your appointment. To make sure that materials are processed and ready for you to review, your requests must be received a minimum of one week prior to your appointment. If we have not received your requests for materials one week prior to your scheduled appointment, the appointment will be cancelled.
• Use this guide to assist you in navigating our online catalog to request the ten (10) materials that you would like to consult.
• Your research materials will be waiting at a table in the reading room. Research Center staff will provide you with guidance on handling the materials.
• There may be limits on the amount of material that can be requested or used at any one time.
• Because research is a process of discovery, the Research Center’s paging schedule includes one opportunity during each appointment session for researchers to request additional materials. We encourage you to review our discovery tools and to make most of your requests in advance of your appointment.

Requesting Library Materials:

• Readers are not admitted to the book stacks. Library materials other than those shelved on the open-shelf reference collection in the reading room must be requested through the online catalog. 
• A maximum of ten (10) items can be requested at a time.
• When you make an appointment for the reading room, Research Center staff will respond to your request within two business days. If your appointment is confirmed, the email will include a login and password for the online catalog. You will need to login and place a request for each item desired using the digital request system. This guide contains information on requesting materials.

Handling Library Materials:

• Library materials delivered to you with special equipment (cradles, foam supports, etc.) must be used with that equipment. Please see the reference staff with questions.

Requesting Archival Materials:

• Review the archival finding aids to identify what precisely you would like to view.
• When you make an appointment for the reading room, Research Center staff will respond to your request within two business days. If your appointment is confirmed, the email will include a login and password for the online catalog. You will need to login and place a request for each item desired using the digital request system. This guide contains information on requesting materials.
• A maximum of ten (10) items (boxes, flat files, and/or portfolios) can be paged at any one time.

Handling Archival Materials:

• The researcher may use only one archival box, flat file, or portfolio at a time.
• The researcher is expected to preserve the existing arrangement of the material within folders and boxes. If anything appears to be misfiled, the researcher should not attempt to move it, but call it to the attention of the archivist or reference staff.
• Any special equipment necessary for handling materials (gloves, light boards, stereoscope viewer, etc.) will be delivered to you with the items you requested. If you find that you require equipment for viewing that is not available on your study table please consult the reference staff.