Planning Your Visit: Home

Visiting

Special Collections is located on the 4th floor of the Walker Library. Both the Reading Room and the Exhibition Room are open to the public from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The area is not open weeknights or on weekends. For all intercessions, as well as Fall and Spring breaks, Special Collections will move from regular hours to appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please send an email to libspeccoll@mtsu.edu three working days prior to the day you want to visit.

From time to time, Special Collections hosts lectures presented by visiting scholars or by MTSU faculty, and occasionally Special Collections hosts MTSU classes whose students use materials in the collections. At these times the Reading Room may be temporarily unavailable for research.

Hours

• Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Saturday Closed
• Sunday Closed

Reading Room Policies

Books and other items held in Special Collections can be fragile, old, unique, and often of considerable monetary value. They require careful handling as well as a stable and secure environment. Please observe these rules when using Special Collections:

• First-time users are asked to complete a registration form and present a photo ID before using materials.
• Special Collections materials--including reference books--do not circulate.
• Food or drink must not be brought into the area.
• Pencils--but not pens--should be used in the Reading Room.
• Laptops may be used.
• Rare books must remain on the work tables. Please do not pick them up and carry them around the Reading Room.
• The Reading Room is a quiet area. Patrons and staff engage in research, cataloging, and other activities that require concentration.
• Fragile or rare items may require handling by staff. Use of some materials may be otherwise restricted at the discretion of staff.
• Photocopying and digital imaging are considered on an item-by-item basis.
• The current legal status of copyright regulates the photoreproduction of MTSU theses. By law, we cannot photocopy entire or substantial portions of any MTSU thesis without permission conveyed in a letter signed and mailed to Special Collections by the author.
• Requests for photocopying cannot be immediately accommodated.
• Briefcases, backpacks, bags, and other items brought into the Reading Room are subject to inspection when visitors leave the area. Lockers are available for storing these items while users are in Special Collections.