Reading Room

The University's  Special Collections and the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) library, archives and photographic collections, can be consulted in the Special Collections Services Reading Room. Check our opening hours.

We are open to the public and access to the Reading Room is free. it is not essential to make an appointment and no letter of recommendation is required. However, we ask all visitors to register their details with us.

Using the Reading Room

We recommend that you contact us in advance to avoid disappointment, as the Reading Room can only accommodate up to 20 people.

Please respect other users during your visit by working quietly; conversations should be held in the Visitor Room.

You may be asked to take particular care with some items, such as fragile documents and glass negatives.

Planning your visit

We recommend that you contact us in advance of your visit with details of the documents and items that you wish to see as most material is on closed access. This allows us to have the material ready for you for when you arrive.

See our page on Requesting items for more information.

If you can't identify items in advance please contact us to discuss your interests. When you visit we will be able to offer you the appropriate catalogues and assistance.

Registration

Registration takes around two minutes and we need to see some form of identification. We currently accept:

• University of Reading Access/Library Card
• driving licence
• passport
• County Archive Research Network (CARN) card
• debit/credit card
• NUS card
• household utility bill

Registration is usually only required on your first visit, after that you just need to sign in.

All registration data is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Rules and procedures

When you register you will be asked to agree to abide by the following rules and procedures. These are in place to protect our collections.

• All documents and books should be handled with care and as directed by a member of staff
• Only pencils are to be used in the Reading Room
• No bags or coats are to be taken in to the Reading Room (free lockers are available)
• No item of food or drink, including chewing gum and sweets, may be taken in to the Reading Room (a Visitor Room is available)
• Smoking is not permitted
• Photocopying is at the discretion of staff
• The use of mobile phones, personal music players, portable scanners and digital cameras is not permitted in the Reading Room
• Readers should respect other users of the Reading Room