Plan Your Visit

Entrances

Both of our public entrances are on Wentworth Avenue, facing the Dartmouth Green. The accessible entrance is just to the left of the main entrance, beside the stairs. Take the elevator up to the first floor to access the reading room.

Study Space

Many people enjoy using our brightly-lit, quiet space to study. You're welcome to study in the reading room as long as you follow our guidelines. You may also use the mezzanine area, a great space if you want to bring food, drink, and personal belongings with you.

Restrooms

You'll find accessible restrooms for all genders located on the basement level. You can reach them via the elevator or the stairwell, adjacent to the main entrance.

Layout

See our floor guides for the first floor and the mezzanine level.

Accessibility

• Rauner Library offers remote reference and scanning services for those who cannot visit in person.
• Please direct your reference and scanning requests to our reference inbox.

Welcome to the reading room! Discover what you can expect, and other guidelines, when accessing Special Collections materials.

• Except for reference stacks along the perimeter of the reading room, the Special Collections stacks are closed to browsing.
• When your items are brought to you, please follow any special handling instructions we share with you.
• No Special Collections materials may leave the reading room without the permission of the College Archivist or the Special Collections Librarian.
• Please do not mark or alter books, documents, or other items from the collections in any way. We have paper available to use as bookmarks if you need.
• Please keep the existing order of all items in their folders and document boxes. If you think there is a filing error, please do not rearrange items, and instead let our team know.

For the safety of our materials, please leave certain items outside the reading room. Stop by the lockers in the Rauner Library lobby to store your belongings.

Upon Arrival

When you arrive at Rauner Special Collections Library, you'll find the reading room just through the large lobby glass doors. One inside the reading room, check in with our team at the main desk to the left. They will ask for your photo ID to keep on file while you look through your requested materials. If you are not a Dartmouth affiliate, they will also ask you to fill out a brief registration form.

Viewing Items

Our team can help you fill out paper "call slips" (located on the desk) for each item you wish to see. We'll then invite you to take a seat at one of the tables in the reading room while we retrieve your item(s). Once collected, we'll deliver the item(s) to your table.

We welcome you to touch, carefully turn pages, and take as many photographs as you wish. If there are any special handling considerations for the item(s) requested, we'll be sure to share that information with you. At any point, you may leave the materials in the reading room to step outside.

Questions? Don't hesitate to chat with us at the main desk. We'll assist you as best we can. 

When You Finish

When finished, you may either turn your items back in, or you can keep your materials on hold for as long as you need. We'll hold these items under your name. The next time you wish to view the material, simply ask for your hold, and we'll retrieve your item(s).

Remember to visit the main desk to retrieve your photo ID.

Requesting Material in Advance

Save time by requesting material from the collection before you visit us! Though not a requirement, this action ensures your requests are ready upon your arrival as a hold under your name. Please allow three business days for us to process your submission.

When you arrive, stop and chat with our team at the desk with your photo ID ready to collect your item(s) on hold.