Reading room staff provide patrons with information about handling Special Collections upon their arrival.
For additional information about how to handle Special Collections materials view videos created by Stanford Libraries' Conservation Services Department.
Please follow these general guidelines to ensure that collections are cared for and will be available for future users.
Books and bound volumes:
Manuscripts:
Photographs:
Special Collections holdings include many extremely rare and fragile documents and objects, including cuneiform tablets, ancient papyrus fragments, architectural models, computer hardware and more. Special Collections staff will provide assistance and guidance in handling these materials.
This video, prepared by Stanford Libraries' Conservation Services Department, demonstrates how to view very fragile paper in folders and papyrus stored between sheets of glass from Papyrus Collection M1421.