We welcome you to bring a research partner with you when you visit the Reading Room. To best assist you, we ask that you to contact us in advance regarding your plans using the Schlesinger Library Ask a Librarian form.

All visitors to the Schlesinger Library Reading Room must have a HOLLIS Special Request account. You can save time on the day of your visit by asking all research partners to register for their HOLLIS Special Request accounts ahead of time.

To best prepare the material for all visitors in advance, please note the names of your research partners in the “Special Requests/Questions” field of your request before submitting. Instructions on submitting requests are available on our Requesting Material Guide.

Research teams have two options for working together in the Reading Room. If neither of the options below will meet your needs in the Reading Room, please contact us so we can discuss other options.

Option 1: Research teams can review material together. In this case, four total boxes of material can be delivered to the team in the Reading Room at one time. Research Teams can then work together using one box of material at a time with only one folder out of the box at a time. Research teams working together in this way should sit side-by-side at the Reading Room table.

Option 2: Research teams can review material separately, each working with four boxes of material in the Reading Room. When working in this manner, research partners should sit on opposite sides of the table. Each researcher may work with one box of material on the table at a time with only one folder out of the box at a time. Materials should not be passed across the table to other researchers.

More information regarding our policies for handling materials in the Reading Room are available on our Library Policies webpage. When you arrive, please let us know you are part of a team. We look forward to meeting you all in the Reading Room!

Visiting the library separately? Please see our Research Assistant Guide.

Please note that some of our collections require written permission or a signed condition of use form. The primary researcher(s) and their assistant(s) must sign the condition of use form and/or be listed in the documentation of granted written permission.