William L. Clements Library
Using Materials
Please handle all materials as carefully as possible. The staff will instruct you on the proper care of items. Use only pencils when taking notes. Pencils and a pencil sharpener are available in the reading room. Under no circumstances are marks to be made on the original materials themselves.
We ask that books be supported on book cradles and the pages held open (if needed) with book weights. Manuscript materials should be supported on book cradles or laid flat on the tables. Never use materials unsupported or take them off the table while you work with them.
When using manuscript material please remove only one folder at a time, and mark the folder's place within the box.
You must keep each of the items within the same order in the collection. Preserving the original order of the documents is of the utmost importance. Related documents are often next to each other in the folders.