FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I determine the value of my books?
How do I find a bookseller or appraiser?
Does the library accept donations?
Does the library loan materials?
Whom on the library staff should I contact with a question?
How can I found out what is in the library's collections?
How do I determine whether the library owns a particular book?
What is an archive? What is a manuscript?
How do I search for manuscripts in the Beinecke collections?
Where is the library located and what are its hours?
What are the library's hours?
Who is eligible to research at the library?
May I schedule a class in the library?
May I ask reference questions by telephone and email?
Will the library's staff do research for me?
May I go into the stacks to browse the shelves?
Does the library's staff offer tours of the building?
What is the library's photocopy policy?
Do I need copyright permission from the library to publish its holdings?
What are the library's reading room rules?
May I use a laptop computer in the library's reading room?
May I use photography equipment in the reading room?
Is the library handicapped accessible?
What is the oldest book in the library?

How do I determine the value of my books? University policy prohibits librarians and curators from providing financial appraisals. Professional appraisers and booksellers can authenticate and evaluate your books and documents.

How do I find a bookseller or appraiser? Professional book appraisers and most booksellers appraise and evaluate books and other documents. The booksellers of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and local booksellers listed in your telephone book's yellow pages can appraise books.

Does the library accept donations? Yale University Library accepts donations through the office of Library Development and Communications. You may contact the Director, Amanda Patrick, by telephone at (203) 432-4484; by mail at the Yale University Library, P.O. Box 208240, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8240; or via e-mail at amanda.patrick@yale.edu. Beinecke Library's curators accept donations that have direct connection to the Beinecke Library's collections.

Does the library loan materials? As a matter of policy, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University, lends material for exhibition only infrequently and only to other non-commercial, academic organizations that share its educational and cultural mission. This policy has been in place for many years and is based on the Library’s conviction that its collections should be available to scholars at Yale and to persons who visit Yale to pursue specialized research at the Library. Review the policy governing exhibition loans or contact Stephen Jones, Head of Public Services (stephen.jones@yale.edu ) for further information.

How do I contact a library staff member? You may call, write, or email a staff member. The library's staff directory displays names, titles, telephone numbers, and email addresses of all library staff. The Yale University Library directory has information on university-wide library staff. If you are not sure whom to contact, the Beinecke Library's Public Services staff can direct you to a staff member. For assistance please call 203-432-2972.

How can I found out what is in the library's collections? The Beinecke Library is Yale University's principle repository for literary papers, early manuscripts, and rare books. The Overview of Collections describes the library's General Collection of Rare Books and Manuscripts, the Collection of American Literature, the Collection of Western Americana, the Collection of German Literature, and the Osborn Collection .

How do I determine whether the library owns a particular book? The library owns more than 675,000 volumes of rare books. To find a book, search Yale University Library's catalog Orbis. A search in the Uncataloged Acquisitions Database finds works acquired by the Beinecke Library but not yet cataloged in Orbis.

What is an archive? What is a manuscript? An archive is the official records, manuscript papers, correspondence, and other documents collected by an individual person, a family, an organization, or an institution that are preserved for their historical value. Search the library's catalog Orbis, the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts, the Uncataloged Acquisitions Database, and the library's card catalog to find catalog records, finding aids, registers, calendars, and preliminary lists for Beinecke's collections.

Traditionally a manuscript is defined as an original document written by hand and not reproduced into multiple copies. That definition has broadened in time to include any preparatory draft writing prior to printing including typescripts and documents created from word processing programs. The Beinecke Library is the principle repository for literary manuscripts at Yale University.

How do I search for manuscripts in the Beinecke collections? Researchers need to search in several library resources to locate information relating to all manuscript collections. Begin by searching Orbis, Yale's online catalog. Second, search in the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts which provides keyword access the library's finding aids, preliminary lists of archival collections, and catalog records for many of the library's individual manuscripts. Third, the Uncataloged Acquisitions Database provides preliminary information on unprocessed manuscripts and archival collections. Fourth, a small percentage of manuscripts are described in a card catalog in the reference room in the library. Finally, the Additional Catalog Resources, part of the Guide to Research Tools describes these and as well as published catalogs of manuscript holdings.

Where is the library located? The library is located at 121 Wall Street on the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut. It is situated west of the intersection of Wall and College Streets near Woolsey Hall and Woodbridge Hall. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 208240, New Haven, CT 06520-8240.

What are the library's hours? The Beinecke Library reading room is open Mondays – Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The library's exhibitions are accessible during reading room hours as well as Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The library is closed for certain holidays throughout the year.

Who is eligible to research at the library? All Yale University students and faculty, and other researchers whose work requires use of its special collections, are welcome to study at the Beinecke. High school students and undergraduates not enrolled at Yale College should contact public services librarian before visiting the library.

May I schedule a class in the library? Yale faculty who wish to exhibit Beinecke materials to their Yale students may reserve a classroom through the Public Services Department. To ensure that Library materials are available on the day of the class, please submit a list of the materials to be used and calls slips to the Public Services desk for approval at least three days prior to the date of the class. The use of some materials may require approval by a curator or the Public Services Librarian.

May I ask reference questions by telephone and email? The Public Services Department can answer general reference questions by telephone. In-depth reference questions or questions requiring consultation of library resources should be submitted in writing by email, mail, or fax.

Will the library's staff do research for me? The library's Public Services Department answers reference questions and coordinates photo-duplication orders but does not perform extensive research. If you are unable to visit the library you might consider hiring a research assistant. Yale University graduate students are available for hire. Contact the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences' Office of Career Services at (203) 432-2583 or P.O. Box 208236, New Haven, CT 06520. 

May I go into the stacks to browse the shelves? The Beinecke Library is a closed stack library. The library's six-story glass stack tower provides a stunning display of books for library visitors, but only library staff can enter the stacks. Researchers may request books from the Public Services Desk. Library staff will retrieve materials within twenty minutes.

Does the library's staff offer tours of the building? The Assistant Head of Public services coordinates tours of the library's public areas and exhibition space. Please contact Stephen Jones or email beinecke.library@yale.edu to schedule a tour.

What is the library's photocopy policy? The library accepts small orders for photocopies of unbound manuscripts in good condition. The library will not photocopy whole works, photographs, or large numbers of manuscripts from a collection, but will make microfilm, copyflo (paper copies made from microfilm), photographs, or digital scans. To avoid damaging its materials, the library will not photocopy bound books or manuscripts. Some library materials are too fragile to be subjected to any duplication process.

You may place your order for photo-duplications in person, in writing, or by searching the Beinecke Digital Library. Please send written requests to the Public Services Department by mail, email, or fax.

Do I need copyright permission from the library to publish its holdings? The Beinecke Library no longer requires a patron to seek permission from the library to publish materials for which Yale University is not the copyright holder, nor does the library charge permission fees. It is, however, the responsibility of the patron or the patron's publisher to determine if there is a copyright holder and obtain permission from that person or agency.

What are the library's reading room rules? The library's reading room rules are comparable to the rules of other special libraries and research centers. Researchers should familiarize themselves with the rules before handling library materials.

May I use a laptop computer in the library's reading room? Researchers are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers to the library or they may borrow one from the Public Services Desk. The library's laptops are equipped with wireless technology connecting Yale affiliates to the university's computer network.

May I use photography equipment in the reading room? Library visitors may photograph the building's exterior and its exhibition space on the ground floor and mezzanine. Commercial photography must be approved by Beinecke Administration and Yale University's Office of Public Affairs. Photography or scanning equipment is not permitted on the court level or in the reading room. The Public Services Department coordinates requests for photo-duplications of library materials.

Is the library handicapped accessible? The library's exhibition space and all of its research areas are handicapped accessible by elevator.

What is the oldest book in the library? The library's oldest western work printed from moveable type is the Gutenberg Bible, produced by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany about 1454.