To better support research as staff remain in a hybrid onsite/offsite work schedule, we are continuing to use the policies for circulation, replacement, and best practices for handling and storing library materials that we implemented last year. Please let the library staff know about any questions you have on these policies.
The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries and Archives form a significant collection of unique and rare materials that is unparalleled in the Midwest. Not only do the Institutional Archives of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Ryerson & Burnham Archives contain unique primary source materials that are inaccessible elsewhere, but the library collection also contains materials that are inaccessible in other print and digital collections. When our print holdings were compared with the holdings of the HathiTrust member libraries, 310,065 volumes were unique to our collection; and in an analysis of interlibrary loans over a five year period we loaned over 310 items that were unique to our holdings.
Access to these collections is one of the privileges of being a staff member at the Art Institute of Chicago. When the space is open, AIC staff are able to consult all library collection holdings in the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries Franke Reading Room. Extended access to the circulating materials is also available under the following conditions.
Circulating materials include:
General collection monographs published after 1923 that are in stable condition
These materials may not circulate outside the library:
Archival materials
Artist files
Auction catalogs
Bound periodicals
Bound-withs (one item containing multiple titles bound together)
Boxed materials
Departmental library materials (Prints and Drawings, Asian Art, Textiles, Conservation and Science, Ancient Art, Paper Conservation)
Fragile materials
Journals
Materials published prior to 1923
Microforms
Open-shelf reference collection materials
Oversized materials (materials stored in f stack, ff stack, and fx stack)
Portfolios of loose plates
Special collections materials
Circulation of materials is not guaranteed. Library staff is responsible for balancing access to materials with the long-term preservation of those materials, and may restrict items from circulation should the staff determine that circulating an item would have an adverse effect on access to or preservation of the item.
• A library orientation must be completed prior to obtaining circulation privileges.
• A completed library authorization form must be received by the libraries in order for circulation privileges to be activated. This form, which must be signed by the patron's supervisor, authorizes the patron to access the library stacks (when they are open) and to charge out library materials under the following conditions:
• Circulating materials may be removed from the museum building, but the patron is responsible for any fees assessed for missing, damaged, or overdue items, as outlined in the replacement policy below.
• Failure to return materials in a timely manner may result in the loss of circulation privileges.
• Materials that cannot be accounted for when they are recalled will be thoroughly searched for once in the library stacks and then, if not found, will be declared missing.
• Materials may not be remotely transferred from patron to patron outside the libraries. Items must be returned to the library in order to transfer from one patron to another, so that the item will be accurately recorded on the correct patron’s account. If materials are transferred outside the library, any fees for damages or loss will be assessed to the person who owns the account to which the item was charged.
• All materials charged to the person's library and interlibrary loan accounts must be returned prior to the person's separation from the AIC. If other staff in the department would like to work with materials, they may be checked out from the libraries once the departing staff member's account has been cleared and the materials are approved for circulation.
• All items checked out to the patron’s account by interns, volunteers, or temporary fellows are the responsibility of the patron.
• No more than 250 items at a time may be checked out on any one patron’s account.
• No more than 3 items at a time may be hand carried out of the museum. When patrons require additional items for remote work, the items must be securely boxed and transported using an insured automobile.
The AIC insurance policy protects the patron while he or she is engaged in transportation of materials and protects the materials themselves only while the patron and materials are onsite.
The patron accepts liability for any harm to his or her person or to the materials charged out on his or her account when the patron and materials are off campus; this may include situations such as:
Physical harm to the patron caused by carrying heavy materials
Harm to materials caused by inclement weather, improper storage, or damage due to exposure to food or drink
Harm to the patron or the materials caused by misadventure (car wreck, flooding, fire)
• Patrons are expected to follow the best practices for use and storage of library materials at home, listed on this page.
• Every five years, the libraries will conduct an inventory of the collection. During this time, any materials being used offsite must be returned to the library, and circulation staff will require access to the curatorial offices in order to scan barcodes of all library materials and account for their whereabouts.
• A library orientation must be completed prior to obtaining circulation privileges.
• A completed library authorization form must be received by the libraries in order for circulation privileges to be activated. This form, which must be signed by the patron's supervisor, authorizes the patron to access the library stacks (when they are open) and to charge out library materials under the following conditions:
• When the library stacks are open, interns, volunteers, and fellows may check out a prox card in order to retrieve materials from the stacks.
• Interns, volunteers, and fellows may serve as a proxy to check out materials to anyone in their department who has signed the library authorization form to approve the intern, volunteer, or fellow to serve as a proxy. Said materials may only circulate outside the building with the staff member on whose account they are checked out.
• In case of an extension to the person's internship/volunteer commitment/employment, the libraries must be notified in writing prior to the expiration of the account, and provided with a new end date.
OFFSITE MATERIALS
A growing collection of materials that have not circulated is available at an offsite warehouse we share with Northwestern University. Materials marked with the location Offsite-NU in the online catalog are stored in temperature- and humidity-controlled stacks in the offsite facility. These can be retrieved by requesting the item through the library catalog. Books are returned to the libraries within two weeks of receiving your request, and you will be emailed once the item is available on the hold shelf in the library. You may keep materials as long as you need them, but they are due on July 1. Email readserv@artic.edu prior to July 1 to request renewals of offsite materials.
ONSITE MATERIALS
Recalls of onsite materials will be disabled during pandemic conditions; instead, librarians will make an effort to obtain the material through interlibrary loan. Once pandemic conditions cease, the following regulations apply to recalls of collection materials housed onsite:
If a book that you need is checked out, you may request it through the library catalog. Library staff will retrieve the book and route it to you on the hold shelf as soon as it arrives back in the libraries. If a recall is placed on an item that you have checked out, you may request the item through the online catalog two weeks after returning it to the libraries if the item is still important for your research. Please be conscientious about responding to library requests for recalled materials, and about returning materials that you have recalled from other researchers quickly.
Should you fail to return a recalled item within 7 days of receiving a request, your library account will be blocked until the item is returned. The item will be billed for replacement if it has not been returned to the library within 30 days.
Library patrons are responsible for replacing library materials that are damaged or that go missing when checked out to their accounts. If materials are not returned to the libraries prior to the end of the staff member’s employment at AIC, the patron will remain responsible for the materials and AIC may seek to deduct the fee for such materials from their final paycheck. The fee for replacing a damaged or missing item will be $250 for items that can be replaced. The library collections contain many rare and unique items. If the library is not able to locate a replacement copy, the patron will be assessed a $500 fee. All Special Collection material will be assessed on a title-by-title basis.
Patrons are welcome to provide replacement copies of missing materials. The library must approve the replacement copy and it must be received within 30 days of the patron receiving an invoice. When the approved item has been received in the library, the library will waive the applicable fee.
No refunds will be granted for missing materials that have already been replaced.
If an item is found once the libraries have replaced it, that item can be withdrawn so the curatorial department can accession it if so desired.
Damaged items should be returned to Circulation, where staff will route them to the Book Conservation department to determine whether they need to be replaced. If an item needs to be replaced, Reader Services staff will notify the patron and the Technical Services department, and the applicable replacement fee will be assessed.
The Circulation Staff will do one thorough search of the stacks for materials that cannot be accounted for when they are recalled to the library or returned upon an individual's separation from the AIC. If the missing materials are not found in that search, Reader Services staff will notify the patron and the Technical Services department, and the patron will be billed for replacement.
A minimum of one week is required for a thorough search to be completed; please bring missing library items to the attention of the Circulation Staff as soon as possible when preparing to depart the museum.
Payment for missing and damaged materials is due within 30 days. If fees have not been collected in full by that time, AIC may seek to deduct the fee from the staff member’s paycheck.
1. Library materials should not be stored or used near food and drink. Do not
keep any beverages or other liquids on the same surface where books are
consulted or stored.
2. Do not shelve books where they will be exposed to sunlight.
3. Store library materials in a secure area away from children and pets. Select an area not directly exposed to heating and cooling vents and away from other sources of heat and water.
4. Do not pull books from the top of the spine. When pulling books off a shelf,
push surrounding books in and pull the book out by the middle of the spine.
5. Avoid carrying more than 2–3 books at a time. No more than 3 items at a time may be hand carried between the museum and your home. Larger groups of materials must be securely boxed and transported by insured automobile. Remember that the museum’s insurance policy protects you and the collection materials only when you and the materials are onsite. You are liable for all damage to yourself and the collection items in your care when you are off campus.
6. Book shelves should not be packed too tightly or too loosely. Use bookends to loosen and tighten a row of books; the libraries have bookends available for your use.
7. If you must store a book on its side (because of height), always shelve with the spine down.
8. Books should be stored on a shelf, desk, or table and never on the floor.
9. Never use other books to prop open a book. Do not bend pages to mark your spot or store a book spine up on a desk or table to save your page. If important passages in books must be flagged, please use uncolored, acid-free strips of paper (available in the libraries).
10. Never store papers or use post-it notes in books. The weak adhesive mass that allows post-it notes to stick leaves an adhesive residue on the paper surface long after the note itself is removed. Dirt can adhere to this and book pages may become stuck together. If important passages in books must be flagged, please use uncolored, acid-free strips of paper (available in the libraries).
11. Books should be copied on bookedge or overhead copiers only; never force a book flat to copy it on a face-down copier or scanner.
12. Use common sense and care, and please ask library staff if you have any questions or concerns. If something does happen to a book that affects its condition or results in damage of any kind, please bring this to the attention of library staff immediately.