Special Collections Visitor Information

Planning Your Visit

Special Collections is open to all Wellesley College students, faculty, and staff, and to visiting researchers whose work requires the use of its materials. Researchers without a Wellesley College ID must present a government-issued photo ID at the time of arrival and registration.

Visits to Special Collections are by appointment only. Please contact specialcollections@wellesley.edu to make an appointment and discuss your research needs or provide us with a list of materials that you wish to examine. Please note that the records for all Special Collections materials are in the Wellesley College Library online catalog.

Please consult the Reading Room Policies prior to your visit. All Special Collections materials must be handled with great care to ensure their safety and preservation.

Note: For the duration of the Clapp Library renovation project, Special Collections is open to class visits and on-campus researchers by appointment only. Please email specialcollections@wellesley.edu for assistance.

The Special Collections Reading Room is located on the 4th floor of the Margaret Clapp Library. Please be prepared to secure your belongings in a locker, as a limited number of personal research materials are allowed in the Reading Room. Coats must remain in your locker or on the coat rack just outside the Reading Room door. For your comfort, you are encouraged to bring a light sweater or sweatshirt.

Class Visits

Faculty members are encouraged to schedule class visits to Special Collections, on the 4th floor of the Clapp Library. We host an average of 80 classes a year from a broad range of departments, either during class time or as an extra session. Students often report that seeing and handling original editions of texts they are reading gives context and dimension to their studies. If you are unsure about how to find suitable materials in the collections for a class visit, please contact Ruth Rogers at least four weeks in advance of your desired date. Because Special Collections is heavily used for research and teaching during the academic year, we cannot usually accommodate last-minute requests for visiting classes. The seminar room is equipped with wireless, seating for 18-20, and a high-quality document camera and projector.

Our rare books and most of our manuscripts are fully searchable in the Library Catalog, with the useful feature of limiting the location to Special Collections in the drop-down menu. You may either prepare a list of books wanted for a class, or if you would like suggestions for relevant materials, simply send your syllabus to Ruth Rogers as early in the semester as possible. You may also reserve books for a specified period, so that your students can come to Special Collections to read them on their own, during open hours.

Please remind students prior to visiting Special Collections that this is a secure space and certain guidelines are necessary to preserve the collection. They must use pencil when taking notes, have clean hands, and leave all coats and bags at the door upon entering the room. Staff members Ruth Rogers and Mariana Oller are always available to help with research and to answer questions about the collection.