Best Practices for Using Special Collections

First, do some background reading about the founder and their context 

• For books found in Special Collections, schedule a time to visit the reading room. Materials in Special Collections are non-circulating. Appointments can be made at the Special Collections website (https://lib.byu.edu/special-collections/)
• Review footnotes and bibliographies in books to identify other secondary and primary sources
• Additional secondary sources may also be found using the Lee Library catalog (https://lib.byu.edu/)

Informed by background reading, identify relevant primary source materials in collection finding aids as needed

• Lee Library primary sources must be accessed in the Special Collections reading room. Materials in Special Collections are non-circulating. Appointments can be made at the Special Collections website (https://lib.byu.edu/special-collections/) 
• Additional primary sources may also be found using the Lee Library catalog (https://lib.byu.edu/) or the Perry Special Collections manuscript database (https://archives.lib.byu.edu/)

Plan adequate time when using the Special Collections reading room

• Researchers must register with Special Collections to use their material
• Special Collections materials cannot be checked out, and must be used in the reading room
• Only paper and pencils, or laptops are permitted for taking notes. Photocopies and digital scans can be requested for a fee

For more assistance locating or using sources, contact University Archivist Cory Nimer

• Appointments can be scheduled by e-mail at cory_nimer@byu.edu, or through the University Archives guide (https://guides.lib.byu.edu/universityarchives)