Access:

RISD Special Collections are available by appointment only. Appointments must be made with 48 hours of notice. Once your appointment request is submitted, a staff member will reach out to confirm. For both in-person and virtual appointments up to ten items can be pulled per appointment and must be done prior to your visit. Please note that appointment requests are contingent on staffing and space availability. We cannot guarantee the availability of your preferred appointment dates/times but will be in touch to find alternatives. Appointment requests are not finalized until an appointment confirmation email has been received from a staff member in Special Collections. Outside researchers are welcome! 

Where is the Reading Room?

The Dale Reading Room for Archives + Special Collections is located on the second floor of the Fleet Library at 15 Westminster St. When you arrive at the library, pass the first 4 elevators and take elevator 5 or 6 to the second floor. Make a left and go through the double doors. We are on your left across from the Visual + Material Resource Center. 

Reading Room Regulations

- Food and drink are not allowed in the Reading Room.

- Please wash your hands (sink across the hall from the Reading Room as well as bathrooms before the double doors on the 2nd floor) prior to entering the space. 

- All bags and coats must be hung up on the coat rack or stored in the lockers in the lobby.

Sketching and Note-taking:

- Allowed: pencils, sketchbooks, notebooks, paper, laptops, tablets, phones.

- Not allowed: pens, markers, colored pencils, charcoal, paint, ink, etc.

Duplication Options:

All duplication requests for scanning and photocopies are subject to copyright fair use restrictions and condition of the materials. Readers may take digital photographs, with permission. For more information on requesting scans, visit our Scan Request guide.

Virtual appointments

Via Zoom, we will send you a google calendar invite with the Zoom link.

We offer virtual, hybrid, and in-person classes. Our classroom can accommodate up to 20 people.

Virtual: 

• Class is held entirely over Zoom.
• We can pull up to 10 items.
• Classes last 60-90 minutes.  
• Classes can be recorded with the Special Collections Librarian and faculty member for asynchronous instruction. 

Hybrid:

• Class is held over Zoom, with follow-up small group visits for students and faculty member.
• Initial Zoom session lasts 30 minutes, and covers an introduction to Special Collections, how to handle items, and a group discussion of 1-3 items. This session can be recorded.
• Follow-up in-person visits for students and faculty member (20-30 minutes each) viewing up to 20 items.  

In-person:

• Class is held in-person in our Dale Reading Room, which can accommodate up to 20 people. 
• We can pull up to 25 items per class.
• The session will include an introduction to Special Collections, how to handle items, a group discussion of items, and one-on-one exploration time. We can create worksheets or other activities on request.
• Classes last 60-90 minutes.

Each year Special Collections hosts over 120 RISD classes and groups from the greater Providence area. Request a class visit using the Schedule a Class Visit button here. 

• Requests made after the semester deadline will be accommodated on a space-available basis, but MUST be requested at least two weeks ahead of your preferred meeting date/time. Due to space and staffing limitations, we cannot accommodate more than five classes and/or groups a week.

• Instruction in Special Collections is a collaborative process. The faculty member must be present during every class visit.

• If your visit request falls outside our normal hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30 pm)  please contact us by email risdspecial@risd.edu before requesting a class visit.

• All new classes/groups and/or new faculty/leaders are required to make an appointment before your class/group visits to discuss class structure and review items.  Appointments are recommended for all returning faculty/leaders as well.

• All services are contingent upon staffing. 

Handouts listing items used in previous class or group visits to Special Collections are available at the top of this page (sorted by department or affiliation).