“Consultation of materials from the Special Collections at the Doris Z. Stone Latin American Library and Research Center must be done in the Doris Stone LAL Reading Room. The Reading Room is located next to the Doris Stone LAL office on the 4th floor of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library.

Who can consult our Special Collections?

The Doris Stone LAL Special Collections are open to all researchers with a valid photo identification.  Please send an email to StoneLAL@tulane.edu to set up an appointment.

Operating hours for the reading room are:

• Monday: 8:30am-12pm and 1:00pm-3:45 pm
• Tuesday: 8:30am-12pm and 1:00pm-3:45 pm
• Wednesday: 8:30am-12pm and 1:00pm-3:45 pm
• Thursdays: 1:00pm-3:45pm
• Friday: 8:30am-12pm and 1:00pm-3:45 pm

Special collections services are occasionally suspended for special events.  Please check the library calendar or contact us when planning your visit.

Are you a First-Time Visitor to the Doris Stone LAL Reading Room?

The Doris Stone LAL asks first-time visitors to the Reading Room to complete the following brief registration process upon arrival:

1. Please fill out the registration form.
2. Present a photo identification (University ID or Driver's License, for example); and
3. Review and sign the Procedures for Consulting Rare Materials in the Reading Room (available in English and Spanish).

Getting Started

• Please store your personal belongings in one of the visitor lockers. You may take with you pencils, blank sheets of paper (provided by the library), and a personal computing device (laptop computer, IPAD, or tablet).
• A Doris Stone LAL staff member will assign you a table and acquaint you with the Reading Room supplies (note paper, markers, gloves, weights, lamps, etc.)
• Complete request slip(s).
• Present your photo identification (University ID or Driver's License, for example)
• A Doris Stone LAL staff member will provide any and all table supports, weights, boards, and the like to ready materials for consultation. Please follow any instructions given regarding the handling of materials. Materials may not be picked up, removed from enclosures, or removed from the Reading Room. If you have any questions, please ask for assistance from a Doris Stone LAL staff member.
• Limited camera use is permitted in the Reading Room. Please review the Camera Use Policy and Permission Form (also available in Spanish) or ask the Doris Stone LAL staff about the use of cell phone or digital cameras.
• When you are finished consulting materials, please alert a Doris Stone LAL staff member who will remove and/or change the materials for you.
• When leaving the Reading Room, please take all of your personal belongings with you and retrieve your photo ID from a Doris Stone LAL staff member.

Reading Room Etiquette

• Please Wash Your Hands: Clean, recently washed hands are best for handling paper materials. Gloves are preferred for handling photographic materials and will be provided for you.
• No Food or Drink: Absolutely under no circumstances are food or beverages or beverage containers allowed in the Reading Room.
• Limit Your Requests: Researchers are allowed to use three folders of manuscripts, one box of photographs, or three rare books at any one time. Please allow the staff an unobstructed view of your work area.
• Pencils Only: Ink pens are not allowed for note-taking. Accidents with ink pens can leave indelible stains on the documents.
• Keep Documents Flat on the Table:  When consulting materials, please leave them as the staff member has arranged them on the table or on supports. Leave flat materials on the table in their file folders in the order you found them. Do not hold documents or books up to read them, and do not remove materials from their file folders or change the order of documents within file folders. Please be careful not to lean on, write on, or place any objects on top of the materials. Do not remove documents or photographic materials from their enclosures. If you need assistance or have questions about handling materials, please ask a Doris Stone LAL staff member.
• Please No Personal Conversations: The Reading Room is a designated Quiet Space. Cell phones are allowed in the Reading Room only for permitted photography, note-taking, or texting. Please leave the Reading Room to conduct personal phone or in-person conversations.
• Personal Items are your Responsibility: Staff members are not responsible for the security of your personal property. Except for a quick bathroom or phone break, if you must leave the Reading Room for an extended period of time, the Doris Stone LAL asks that you please alert a staff member and end your consultation by taking all of your personal items out of the Reading Room.
• Please Respect the Collections and the Library Staff: The Doris Stone LAL kindly asks the users of the Reading Room to please observe the above procedures, etiquette, and all instructions given by staff. These guidelines are created to help preserve these unique collections in good condition for the use of all future researchers and visitors. Failure to observe any of these guidelines by users of the Reading Room will result in a suspension of privileges to consult the Doris Stone LAL special collections materials.

Trying to Find Materials in the Doris Stone LAL Special Collections?

See the Special Collections webpage for information on discovery tools.

If you need more help or have reference questions about finding or consulting special collections materials or are interested in primary sources for a digital scholarship project, please contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Do You Need Digital Reproductions or Publication Permission for Images of the Doris Stone LAL Special Collections Materials?

Please see the Duplication Policies and Services webpage for policies, procedures, and request forms.

Do you have questions regarding a loan or other special use of the Doris Stone LAL Special Collections Materials?

If you have questions regarding loans or other special uses of special collections materials, physical objects or images, please contact the Curator of Special Collections.