Seattle Room Appointments
Make an appointment to view non-circulating items from the Seattle Room Collections.
Seattle Room Appointments
The Seattle Room is open by appointment on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Appointments may be booked for up to 2 hours. Appointment space is limited.
During your appointment you will have access to the Seattle Room collections. Items in the collection are non-circulating, which means they must stay in the Library and may not be checked out. Librarians will be available to assist you with your research needs.
At this time, the Seattle Room is not available for tours, large groups or private showings. Please contact us with questions or other Seattle Room-related inquiries through Ask Us.
How Seattle Room Appointments Work
Submit the form to select your appointment time and tell us what kind of help you need.
We will contact you to schedule your appointment.
Seattle Room staff are available to assist you in the Seattle Room during your appointment.
Please submit the form at least 24 hours before your requested appointment time. Walk-up appointments can be accommodated as space allows; please visit a staff desk at the Central Library for details.
Material Handling Guidelines
Please wash your hands prior to arrival. Restrooms are available on levels 1, 3 and 7.
Please do not re-shelve items that you have pulled from shelves and drawers. Our staff will manage the items at the end of your appointment.
Gloves are required for handling photographs. Book rests are required for large books and bindings that are damaged or loose. Weighted bags are available to hold maps and pages in place if needed.
Scanning and photocopies may not be permitted for certain collection items, in order to preserve them for future generations. Flash-free photographs are permitted for these at-risk items with staff approval.
Reproduction Requests
The Seattle Room houses many rare, valuable and often unique materials that require special handling to ensure their availability for years to come. Our staff carefully evaluate each reproduction request based on the material’s condition and available reproduction methods.
Standard Requests: For most reproduction needs, please discuss your requirements with staff during your visit.
Large Projects: If your project involves:
- Large research projects requiring extensive materials
- Specialized reproduction equipment
Please submit reproduction requests at least seven days in advance to the Special Collections Services Manager at specialcollections@spl.org.
Institutional Projects: Museums, libraries, archives, and local history organizations planning projects involving large amounts of materials or specialized on-site equipment (such as overhead or flatbed scanners) must submit requests at least seven days in advance to the Special Collections Services Manager at specialcollections@spl.org.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we balance making these materials accessible with preserving rare and fragile items.