Online catalogs and databases essential to your visit:
Readers are not admitted to the book stacks. Library materials other than those shelved on the open-shelf reference collection in the reading room must be requested through the online catalog.
A maximum of ten (10) items can be requested at a time.
When you make an appointment for the reading room, Research Center staff will respond to your request within two business days. If your appointment is confirmed, the email will include a login and password for the online catalog. You will need to login and place a request for each item desired using the digital request system. Use the drop-down menu on the navigation bar to learn how to use the online catalog.
Library materials delivered to you with special equipment (cradles, foam supports, etc.) must be used with that equipment. Please see the reference staff with questions.
Review the archival finding aids to identify what precisely you would like to view.
When you make an appointment for the reading room, Research Center staff will respond to your request within two business days. If your appointment is confirmed, the email will include a login and password for the online catalog. You will need to login and place a request for each item desired using the digital request system. Use the drop-down menu on the navigation bar to learn how to request items.
A maximum of ten (10) items (boxes, flat files, and/or portfolios) can be paged at any one time.
The researcher may use only one archival box, flat file, or portfolio at a time.
The researcher is expected to preserve the existing arrangement of the material within folders and boxes. If anything appears to be misfiled, the researcher should not attempt to move it, but call it to the attention of the archivist or reference staff.
Any special equipment necessary for handling materials (gloves, light boards, stereoscope viewer, etc.) will be delivered to you with the items you requested. If you find that you require equipment for viewing that is not available on your study table please consult the reference staff.
Researchers must enter the museum to access the Franke Reading Room. The reading room is located to the south of the Grand Staircase inside the museum’s Michigan Avenue entrance.
Please check in at the reception desk. Your research materials will be waiting at a table in the reading room. Research Center staff will provide you with guidance on handling the materials.
Because research is a process of discovery, the Research Center's paging schedule includes one opportunity during each appointment session for researchers to request additional materials. We encourage you to review our discovery tools and to make the most of your requests in advance of your appointment.
Ryerson & Burnham Libraries
For information on the museum collections, library collections, and library services, please contact Library staff at reference@artic.edu.
The Art Institute of Chicago Archives
For information on our collections, the history of the Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute, donation proposals, corrections, comments, and general questions, please contact Archives staff at archives@artic.edu.