Description
Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) is open Monday-Friday from 8a-5p. We are located on the first floor of Newman Library, near the cafe. We encourage, but do not require, appointments to visit our reading room and use materials housed in our spaces. If you have reserved oral history equipment through our equipment catalog, you may pick up items at our reference desk inside the front doors of SCUA.
By making an appointment, you will help us limit the number of researchers using our Reading Room at any one time; guarantee you a seat at the requested time; and help us plan for your visit, for example, by making sure materials needed are on-site and available.If you choose to book an appointment, you may do so up to 2 months in advance, shortly before you arrive, or anytime in between! If you do not wish to book an appointment, our reference desk staff will work with you when you arrive.
Tips for booking appointments:
- When you select a time for your visit, the default is for one (1) hour. You can extend the time by selecting a different ending time from the dropdown box (between the available seats and the "submit time" button at the bottom of the page).
- When booking, you will be asked for a list of specific materials you wish to view. If you are planning your visit in advance, we appreciate you letting us know this information. If you are making your appointment closer to your visit (within a day or less), you can instead request materials from our staff directly when you arrive.
- If you are bringing an additional person or people, we ask that each person make their own reservation OR that one person make a reservation for each person (and please note you are making multiple reservations in the "is there anything you want us to know about your visit?" field).
- You may book appointments for one or more days, but you will need to book each day separately.
- If you are planning a multi-day trip from out of town, we encourage you to contact us in advance (at specref@vt.edu or at 540-231-6308) so we can help you with any logistics and make sure materials are on-site and available.
- SCUA does have ADA compliant, accessible seating. Individual seats are not marked below, but please let us know in the field for the “Is there anything else you would like Special Collections and University Archives staff in advance of your visit?” question on the next page or feel free to contact us directly at specref@vt.edu or at 540-231-6308.
- After booking your appointment, you will receive a confirmation email and, depending how far in advance you requested a time, you may also receive a reminder 4 hours before your appointment.
- If you have questions or issues with the booking system, please contact us at specref@vt.edu or at 540-231-6308. We can either walk you through the system or create an appointment for you.