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This stems from the concern (valid, in my opinion) of preserving the collection. If you let just anyone enter the physical library to access it, your risk woul
by s-phi-nl 12y ago
This stems from the concern (valid, in my opinion) of preserving the collection. If you let just anyone enter the physical library to access it, your risk would be higher that someone would accidentally damage or take some of the collection.
For what it's worth, my understanding is that the Library of Congress has similar restrictions for accessing at least some of their archives.
- apaprocki 12y agoKeep in mind these are the restrictions for the entire archive. Here, on the other hand, are the policies just for the LoC Rare Book & Specialized Collection Reading Room: http://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/policies.html http://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/policies.html tl;dr I can walk in and look at some rare books. The National Archives is similar, as well as NYC's archives downtown. I've been in both and have easily handled old-but-not-so-old (1800s) volumes. Putting that kind of restriction on the entire archives throws the baby out with the bathwater.