Reading Room Policy
The FMHC Library provides two reading rooms for the convenience of researchers who wish to consult the holdings of our library and special collections. The Catherine and William Burr Reading Room is a quiet study area and houses our monograph collections on manufacturing, trade, decorative arts, and artifact collecting. We welcome collaborative work and group projects in the Willard H. and Dwight F. Fanton Rare Book and Manuscript Archive. There you will find our genealogy and local history collections, maps and broadsides, and our reference files on house research and preservation.
What to bring into the Reading Room
Please use only pencil and notepaper in the library. You are welcome to bring your personal laptop into the reading rooms. Wireless internet access and outlets are provided in all public library areas.
Please leave all bags, including purses and laptop cases, in the lockers provided in the library lobby.
Please leave all overcoats and heavy jackets in the lockers provided in the library lobby.
We cannot allow smoking, food or drink anywhere in the Library, including candy and chewing gum.
Xeroxing and Photography
We do not allow personal photography, including cell phone photography, in the Library. Please do not bring photographic equipment into the library. If you would like a reproduction from one of our items, please ask a staff member for a request form.
Feel free to photocopy from volumes found in the reading rooms, as long as they were printed after 1920. A fee applies to all photocopies. Volumes printed before 1920, manuscripts, photographs, maps, and fragile items cannot be photocopied under any circumstances. Please consult with staff for our photoduplication services.
How to Handle Library Materials
Library materials must rest fully on the work surface. Please use book supports as supplied by library staff.
Do not pull books by the headband.
Manuscripts, photographs, and special items must be handled wearing lintless gloves supplied by library staff.
Turn pages from the top of the document.
Do not write on or trace materials, bend pages, or lean on materials.
Do not rearrange folders or documents inside a folder.
Use acid-free bookmarks provided by library staff to keep your place.
Please notify library staff of damaged or fragile materials or uncut pages.
How to Retrieve Materials Materials in the Catherine and William Burr Reading Room and the Willard H. and Dwight F. Fanton Rare Book and Manuscript Archive are publicly accessible. Please feel free to retrieve your own materials. When you are done, please leave materials on the special re-shelving stations.
Staff will be happy to assist you in finding and retrieving materials. Please ask for assistance with the compact shelving units and the reading room ladders.
Please note that use of the reading room ladders and stepstools is at your own risk. If you are uncomfortable using them, the reference librarian on duty will be happy to assist you.
How to Order Special Materials
Please fill out a separate call slip for each item. Your items will be brought to your desk.
A maximum of five items from the special collections (volumes, archival boxes, folders, or items) can be provided at a time.
You may place a limited amount of items on hold for specified return visits within two weeks.
