Consulting Special Collections Material

An appointment is required for the consultation of Special Collections material: we are not able to accept researchers without an appointment. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please complete the research visit request form, indicating which material you would like to consult. All Special Collections appointments are handled in the same way, whether they relate to material belonging to the library or the archives: please fill in the research visit request form for appointments to see any category of Special Collections material. Please provide full descriptions, titles or reference numbers (where known).

These appointments usually take place on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; we are not able to provide appointments on other days except in exceptional circumstances. We usually offer a morning slot (10am–12pm) and an afternoon slot (1.30pm–4.30pm). 10am and 1.30pm are the default start times, when we will expect you to arrive at Merton; if you intend to arrive later, please let us know. The appointment will need to finish by 12 noon (for morning appointments) or 4.30pm (for afternoon appointments), regardless of start time.

Please give us plenty of notice (of at least three working days) when you contact us to request an appointment, and be aware that we may not be able to provide an appointment for your preferred date and time: if you are making a special trip to Oxford to consult our collections, we advise you to confirm the appointment with us before finalising your travel arrangements.

Consultation appointments take place in the modern reading room on the ground floor of Merton’s Mob Library (not in the medieval Upper Library. For information about visiting the Upper Library, see the Historic Library page). There are power sockets and Wi-Fi (Eduroam and The Cloud – see the Visitor Information page for further details) available. This library is also used by students, so space is limited: we can generally only accommodate one researcher per slot (or two working on the same item). A member of the Library and Archives team will meet you and will be present throughout to supervise and provide assistance if necessary. When you book an appointment you will be given full details of where to go on the day.

Please read the rules for readers (also available in PDF format) and our guidelines on the use of book supports (also available in PDF format) in advance of your visit.

Please do not bring guests without asking us in advance: we cannot accommodate unplanned visitors.

Be aware that the member of staff supervising your appointment will not necessarily have detailed knowledge of the material you are looking at and may not be able to answer research enquiries during the session.

If you have any questions, please contact the library.