LSC Access Policy
UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC) encourages broad public access to our processed and un-restricted holdings in support of research, teaching, scholarship, and public inquiry.
More Information
UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC) materials are accessible to everyone 18 years and older.
LSC materials do not circulate and must be consulted in the Ahmanson-Murphy Reading Room in the Charles E. Young Research Library. We update our hours(opens in a new tab) quarterly on the Library website.
All readers must create an LSC User Account(opens in a new tab) to request materials and access those materials in the Reading Room.
Accessing LSC Materials in the Reading Room
Reading Room use is limited to individuals accessing LSC materials. We do not take appointments and readers are seated in the order they arrive. University of California (UC) affiliates and LSC fellowship recipients receive priority seating consideration when the reading room reaches capacity.
Reading Room use is limited to individual research. Loud conversations between readers and other disruptive behavior is not permitted. We cannot guarantee seating arrangements or accommodate group research visits.
Readers must handle all materials with care. For archival materials, readers may access one box at a time and one folder at a time. Readers must maintain the order and arrangement of materials in each folder and maintain the order of the folders in each box. Readers should notify the attendant of any irregularities. Bound volumes must remain supported in LSC-provided book cradles.
Users may not remove items from mylar sleeves, cut unopened book leaves or remove metal staples or paperclips from collection materials.
All material must remain in plain view on the reading room tables and be kept as flat as possible. Readers may not place anything on the material except staff-provided book weights.
Readers are prohibited from standing on chairs, placing materials on the floor or rearranging the furniture.
Users may leave and re-enter the reading room as needed, but seating may be forfeited after a 30-minute absence.
Users are permitted to use laptops and tablets in the reading room when consulting unrestricted collections.
Users are permitted to photograph unrestricted collections with cameras and cellphones. Flash is not permitted.
Users are not permitted to photograph or film LSC staff, other reading room users or the reading room itself.
Cellphone stands, pencils and acid-free note paper is available upon request.
All items are subject to examination upon entering or exiting the Reading Room.
The following items are prohibited in the Reading Room:
- Food or drink
- Pens, highlighters, markers or stick-on notes
- Scanners
- Tripods, phone mounts and ancillary photography/lighting equipment
- Personal notes, notebooks and loose paper
- Containers: all folders, binders, envelopes, boxes, cases, bags/purses and other containers must be stored in the provided lockers
Access to Restricted Collection Materials
Materials with physical and/or technical restrictions require additional mediation and/or staff attention for access. LSC staff require advance notice to assess and respond to these requests.
- We cannot provide access to AV and/or born-digital materials in their original format. These formats must be evaluated and digitized/reformatted for researcher access.
- Processed born-digital materials can be made accessible via an LSC-provided, locked-down reading room laptop.
- Certain materials require additional mediation due to their size, format and/or condition. Access requests for these materials will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Certain materials may not be accessible due to institutional, donor or legal restrictions.
- Unprocessed collections are not accessible.
- Collections containing sensitive and/or identifiable health information covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996(opens in a new tab) (HIPAA) are not publicly accessible. Access to these materials will only be granted to researchers operating under an approved IRB Research Protocol(opens in a new tab).