Special Collections Reading Room appointments

We strongly encourage all visiting researchers to make an appointment to view materials at least 24 hours in advance of your visit. This booking system starts the day at 12am, not at our 10am open time, so please scroll to the right to see appointment availability for each day. 

• Appointments may be made up to 24 hours prior to your visit; if it less than 24 hours before your expected visit, you are not able to use this booking system. 
• The reading room is open from 10am-12pm and 1-4:45pm. The reading room closes daily from 12-1 for lunch and at 4:45 for the day.
• Appointments are for one person. If you are visiting with additional researchers, each individual person will need to make an individual appointment. 
• You are not required to arrive at the start of your appointment nor stay until the end of your appointment.
• Do not submit a materials list in advance of your visit. We page materials when you are in the reading room.
• Requests made after 11:45am will be pulled once we reopen at 1pm. Paging ends for the day at 4pm.
• All materials that can be used by researchers are held on-site unless otherwise noted in the catalog or finding aid.
• Depending on the number of bookings in the reading room, you may be able to extend your appointment. Please speak with the archivist at the reference desk if you would like to extend your visit.
• After you have reached the “confirmed” page at the end of the booking form, please confirm your appointment using the link emailed to you. You are then set for your visit and there is no need to confirm your appointment with us.
• You may cancel your appointment yourself via the link in your confirmation email.

Please check our Visit Page to see if there are any upcoming closures of the Special Collections reading room. Please note that the reading room will be closed to researchers on Friday, May 15, and Friday, May 22, for our Smith College Commencement & Reunions Open House days; we will be open to visitors for the open house only. The reading room will be closed on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day and on Friday, June 19, for Juneteenth.