Preparing for a Research Visit
Use the links below to find all of the information you need to prepare for a research visit to Rose Library. If you have any questions, please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu or 404-727-6887.
If you already have a Special Collections Request Account, you can login directly at https://aeon.library.emory.edu/Logon
The Rose Library is open for in person appointments Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. All appointments must be made five calendar days in advance.
Step 1: Log into your Special Collections Request Account or create a new account if you are a first-time user.
Step 2: Please follow the instructions on the "New Request" page to request materials. Please note that all users must make an appointment to request materials.
Please contact us for a research consultation at rose.library@emory.edu or 404-727-6887.
For more information about our researcher policies please visit our Using the Reading Room webpage.
Change/Cancel An Appointment
Step 1: Log into your Special Collections Request Account.
Step 2: Click on "Appointments" in the top navigation bar. Then click on Actions. Cancelling will cancel your appointment and all the requests associated with that appointment. Clicking Edit Appointment will bring up the "Edit Appointment" window. From here, you can schedule a new appointment or select an existing appointment.
Please note: the system will not allow you to book a new appointment within five days, even if there is an opening available. Please contact us directly for assistance if your appointment is less than five days away.
You can register, request materials, and make an appointment via your Special Collections Request Account. You do not have to be affiliated with Emory to use our collections or provide a letter of introduction. You may be asked to present a photo ID at the main library entrance though Rose Library does not require a photo ID.
Once you have found the materials you want to request, use the request links in the finding aid (for manuscript and archives collections) or the catalog record (for print materials in Library Search) to access the request system. You’ll be prompted to register if you do not already have an account.
Some of our materials are stored offsite at Emory’s Library Services Center; this will be noted in the collection finding aid. If the collection you want to use is offsite, your requests must be placed 2 business days in advance of your visit. Materials in the Larry McDonald papers require 5 business days advance notice.
If you have trouble making requests, don’t worry! You can do so when you arrive at Rose Library (unless the materials are stored offsite), but we also suggest using Chrome or Firefox as your browser and clearing any cookies. If you need your password reset or receive an error message, please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu or 404-727-6887.
You can always review the status of your requests by logging back into your user account. The main page will display the requests you’ve made with a status in the status column. If an item is listed as “On Hold” then it has been pulled for you.
For security purposes, we do limit what can be taken into the Reading Room. We provide lockers to secure your materials. We also provide pencils and paper and research tools like magnifying glasses and weights.
Permitted items include:
- Pencils
- Laptops or tablets (out of their cases)
- Digital camera or cell phone
- Outside books needed for research purposes
Prohibited items include:
- Food, drink, gum and candy
- Ink of any kind
- Papers (we will copy notes necessary for your research onto colored paper)
- Professional photography equipment
- Outerwear
- Bags of any kind
In most cases, researchers are allowed to take photographs of materials in our Reading Room with no flash; personal scanners are not allowed. Some individual collections have additional photography restrictions; this is indicated in the finding aid.
Professional photo shoots and filming is not allowed in the Reading Room, but can be arranged for in another space in Rose Library. To arrange a photo shoot, please contact Gabrielle M. Dudley, Assistant Director of Public Services, at gabrielle.dudley@emory.edu.
Of course you can! We are happy to respond to reference questions. Please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu with the details of your inquiry.
Our reference staff can spend about 30 minutes on each inquiry. If your request requires a substantial amount of research, we may suggest hiring a freelance researcher. Contact us for suggestions.
We offer photocopies, PDFs and medium and high resolution scans and mp3 and mp4 files. Please review our policies and fee structure on our Reprographic Services page.
Please visit our Visitor Information page for parking, directions, accomodations and dining options.
Rose Library welcomes all forms of use of our collections for research, teaching, and pleasure. We do not require any special permissions or letters of introductions as use of collections in the reading room is free and open to the public.
While we welcome and encourage younger researchers, primary source materials often include adult content. Our age policies are in place to ensure that researchers under the age of 18 are appropriately prepared to engage primary sources.
Researchers under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who must remain with them at all times, and present a photo ID at the time of their arrival.
Researchers under 18 years of age must present a note (emailed or written) from a parent, guardian or teacher stating that they are aware of your intention to use primary source materials.
Parents, guardians and teachers are always welcome to accompany younger researchers. Please see our policy on group research for more information.
We have a space in the reading room that can accommodate up to four people working together on the same set of materias. Please contact us (rose.library@emory.edu or 404-727-6887) to request to reserve the space. The space can only be reserved if we have appropriate staffing and is not guaranteed.
All members of the group will be asked to register, make an appointment, and and request materials prior to their arrival.
Groups using the space are limited to using one box and folder at a time. For groups working through a large amount of materials, we recommend booking individual spaces in our Reading Room.
If your group is interested in a tour or show and tell, please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu.
We welcome classes from Emory and beyond. Please visit our Faculty FAQs page.
Rose Library offers multiple research fellowships. Please visit our Fellowship Opportunities page.
Please use the following format when citing materials from the Rose Library’s manuscript collections:
[Identification of item, title of collection], Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.
For examples, please visit our Permissions and Citations page.
In most circumstances, the Rose Library does not hold copyright to the materials in its holdings and therefore cannot grant or deny permission to use them. However, we will provide all available information about the copyright holder of materials found in our collections, but cannot guarantee the accuracy of that information.
Please contact Gabrielle M. Dudley, Assistant Director of Public Services, with specific permissions questions.
Rose Library routinely digitizes AV materials (cassettes, reel-to-reel, CDs, DVS, film) for use in our Reading Room. The collection finding aid will indicate if an item has been digitized. If you identify an AV item you would like digitized for your visit, please contact us two weeks in advance at rose.library@emory.edu.
Due to U.S. copyright law, we cannot make audio and video recordings from our collections available for use online. Copies of AV material can be purchased with written permission from the copyright holder.
All Rose Library microfilm collections are accessible on Level 1 of the Woodruff Library building; readers can be found Level 2. Researchers do not need to make an appointment or request with us to access these materials. If you need assistance in retrieving microfilm, please inquire at the service desk on Level 2.
Microfilm collections are available for borrowing to most public and academic libraries through InterLibrary Loan. Please contact your home library to arrange for a loan.
During your visit, you can browse the stacks, use micofilm, and request a visitor login to access Emory's electronic resources by visiting the service desk on Level 2 of the Woodruff Library Building. Visitors from ARCHE member schools may be able to check out books as well.
Please visit the Woodruff Library Building's Visitor page for more information.
The Fortunoff Video Archives are a special collection of Holocaust survivor testimonies at Yale University. Emory’s Rose Library is a partner site for the Fortunoff Archives; Yale shares their streaming videos with us, but limits access to work stations in the Rose Library Reading Room.
While you will request the use of the testimonies through Yale, you must register as a user with Rose Library: https://aeon.library.emory.edu/Logon.
- Locate the testimony you want to view using Yale University’s catalog, Orbis, via the Fortunoff home page: http://web.library.yale.edu/testimonies
- Once you have found the right testimony, select the full record and click on “Request for Use in Manuscripts and Archives.”
- Register as a new user in Yale’s Special Collections request system. After you register, you should see a form with information about the testimony you selected already filled in. Click “Submit.” You will receive an email confirming your request.
- If you want to watch multiple testimonies, you must place requests for each through your Special Collections account.
- Wait for notification that your request has been approved (you will receive an email within 3-5 business days).
- Once you receive notification, make an appointment to visit Rose Library using the Fortunoff appointment request form below. If you and a friend are working on the same testimony as another student, we encourage you to book our group space (each member of your group will need to register).
- When you arrive for your appointment, Rose Library staff will supply you with a laptop with the Fortunoff site bookmarked. Be sure to bring your login information for Yale’s Special Collections system; you will need to login to your account to stream the videos you requested.
Rose Library collection born digital materials and digitizes materials for preservation purposes. All digitized and born digital materials can be accessed on laptops or iPads in our Reading Room.
Digitized collections are available online via Emory’s Digital Gallery and Digital Collections.
Salman Rushdie Born-Digital Kiosk:
The Rose Library provides access to the processed portions of Salman Rushdie’s digital archive via a laptop in the reading room. This workstation allows researchers to search and browse Rushdie’s computing files, as well as interact with a simulation of Rushdie’s original computing environment via an emulation. As additional data from Rushdie's computers are processed, they will also be available in the Reading Room.
Born-Digital Collections:
In addition to providing access to the processed portions of Rushdie’s digital archive, Rose Library also provides access to other processed born-digital collections on iPads in the Rose Library Reading Room. Born-digital files from the papers of Alice Walker, Lucille Clifton, Turner Cassity, Mildred Thompson, Nathaniel Mackey and Matt Schaffer collections. are currently available, with other collections soon to be added.
Patrons may request access to unprocessed born digital collections that appear in the ArchivesSpace database, though all requests must be made in advance. Once a request is made, we will supply the patron with a time estimate for how long it will take to make the material available in the reading room. The turnaround time varies widely based on original file and media formats. Restrictions on a given collection, copyright limitations, or technology complications may hinder Rose Library's ability to provide access to unprocessed born digital collections. To request access to unprocessed born digital collections, please email rose.library@emory.edu.
Digitized collections are available online via Emory’s Digital Gallery: http://www.digitalgallery.emory.edu/luna/servlet.
Please visit our accessibility page and contact us with any questions or requests at rose.library@emory.edu or 404-727-6887.