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.

• Handle archival and library materials gently. Your careful actions safeguard archival and library materials for future users.
• Wash and dry your hands immediately before working with special collections.
• All personal belongings, except pencils, cell phones, and laptop computers should be placed in the reading room lockers.
• Food and drink are not permitted.
• Always use a pencil, never a pen or marker.
• Notify reading room staff if an item or enclosure is damaged in a way that makes safe handling difficult so that it may receive conservation attention.

Books and bound volumes:

• Keep volumes on the table; do not hold in hands.
• Do not rest your hand, arm, or any object on a book or manuscript.
• Use a book cradle and special weights to hold the book open.
• Ask for assistance with any fragile, heavy, or awkward items, especially scrapbooks.

Manuscripts:

• Remove only one folder at a time from manuscript boxes.
• Use the blue card as a place holder for folders as they are removed.
• Keep folders and pages flat on: table; do not hold in your hands.
• Maintain the order in each folder.
• Never remove manuscript pages from folders.
• Align pages carefully but do not tap pages to realign them.
• Use a separate folder to turn over fragile or large items.
• Ask for assistance with folded, rolled, and other awkward items.

 Photographs:

• Wear nitrile gloves and use two hands when handling photographs not encased in Mylar or other protective material.

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.