Special Collections Services and Facilities

Reading Room/Seminar Room: Special Collections materials do not circulate outside of Gaylord because they are unique and/or fragile. Special Collections materials may be used in the Gaylord Reading Room or in the Music Seminar Room (when available) for classes and others requiring group access to materials. Please also note that materials cannot be retrieved for readers after 4:30 p.m., and materials are collected at 4:45 p.m.

Photocopying: All photocopying is assumed for research and study only. Photocopying of Special Collections materials, when particularly fragile as determined by the staff, will be done by Gaylord Library staff. Reproductions may be made only if the original will not be damaged in the process. Copyright restrictions are observed. The fee for photocopying is 15 cents per page.

Reference Services: Gaylord Music Library staff is available to assist patrons in using the library catalog, the library web site, the reference collections, the Supplementary Catalog that is maintained by the Gaylord Music Library, and other specialized reference tools. In addition, the Music Librarian is available to assist patrons in location primary source music materials in collections outside of Washington University.

Classes: The Washington University Libraries strongly encourages the use of rare books and manuscripts in support of teaching. Arrangements can be made for classes to use music materials held in Special Collections and for the classes to be held in the Gaylord Music Library or the regular classroom. The Music Librarian is available to make presentations about the holdings or to work with faculty interested in including rare books, manuscripts, and archives in the curriculum.

Exhibits: The Library staff presents a number of small exhibits per year located in the Gaylord Reading Room. The exhibits are used to highlight recent gifts and to draw attention to various strengths in the collections.

Interlibrary Loan: Materials from Special Collections are sometimes available through the Interlibrary Loan Unit in Olin Library for exclusive use in a supervised, environmentally controlled reading room.