On my last day in the library here at Illinois, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect upon the proper archive/research library behavior. I've seen some absolutely mind-boggling mistakes that make me wonder if that person has any common sense whatsoever - let's drink bottled orange juice and hold a highlighter in our hand while we read the 500-year-old books! (Such actions invariably set off the Attack Librarians, which can be very entertaining.)
Other parts of library/archival behavior code aren't quite so self-evident. Now some places are stricter than others so you should always check each archive/library's website (I've actually seen one that will let you bring your purse into the reading room, as long as it isn't too big) but for the most part here are the rules:
1) Pencils only. No pens, highlighters, crayons, or anything else that might leave a permanent mark on the document.
2) You can bring in your own paper – sometimes – but be prepared to have your pile of papers and/or notebook searched on your way out. It's not that they don't trust you, they just don't trust you with their priceless, irreplaceable and very portable manuscripts!
3) You can bring in your laptop and computer cord, but the computer bag must be left in a locker outside the reading room. Some reading rooms will have laptop-free zones, so be careful where you sit. Also, some places will require you to open up your laptop on the way out to make sure you haven't hidden anything between the screen and the keyboard.
4) Rarely, you will be allowed to bring in a camera to take pictures, but the flash MUST be turned off and don't even think about bringing in your camera bag.
5) In case it isn't already obvious – no bags. Nothing that you can hide stuff in. A few archives actually will hand out clear plastic tote-sized bags for you to pile your junk into, so you can carry it, but even then you will often have to pull everything out of the bag for inspection.
6) Jackets, hooded sweatshirts with big pockets, and other all-concealing clothing is also a no-no. Layers are good (for preservation purposes, the ideal temperature to store books – and hence the ideal temperature for a reading room – is something like 64 degrees!) but make sure they're not big bulky ones. Rule of thumb: if it's what you wear to smuggle your own food into the movie theatres, don't wear it to the archive.
And that's it. Simple!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go drive for sixteen hours. And reflect upon how much cooler H.G. Wells' The Time Machine would have been if he'd kept the hippo scene....
