Guide for instructors

Here is information you need to request and prepare for a class session at Beinecke. Questions can be sent to beinecke.education@yale.edu or directly to the librarian or curator you are working with to develop your class. We look forward to working with you!

To request a class, please remember that we require:

  • Minimum of 2 weeks’ notice to reserve a room, requested via the required online form.
    • Minimum of 1 week’s notice (5 business days) to page materials that the instructor has requested through the library catalog or finding aids to the Aeon Event for the class session.
  • Maximum of 15 items in classrooms (10 in seminar rooms).
  • Minimum of 4 weeks’ notice if you would like our staff to select and request materials on your behalf.
  • We consider all requests against space and staff availability. We may need to suggest an alternate day or time.

Classroom hours:

  • Monday/Tuesday/Thursday 9am-5:30pm
  • Wednesday 10am-5:30pm
  • Friday 9am-4:30pm

To review materials, please note these timelines: 

More than 12 business days before class

  • Materials should be requested through your Special Collections (Aeon) account and reviewed in the reading room of the holding library (Arts, Beinecke, Divinity, Medical Historical Library). Please return the materials to the service desk and then request them to the Aeon Event for the specific class session. 

Within 10 business days before class. Materials will be reviewed through the Education Program. 

  • For Beinecke (including Manuscripts and Archives) materials, place your request through your Special Collections (Aeon) account by choosing “Activity: BRBL: class:” for the day of the class session from the drop-down menu in the “Request Information” section. Make the request date the day of your scheduled review.   
  • Education Program staff must place requests for materials from specialized libraries (Arts, Divinity, Medical Historical Library, Music). Email beinecke.education@yale.edu with links to the requested materials and the date of the class session(s).  

5-8 business days before class

  • Instructor reviews materials as scheduled, annotating the Aeon slip with “Keep,” “Return,” or “Hold for [date] class.”   
  • On the day of your review, meet Education Program staff to the right of the service desk. The staff at the service desk will not have your materials.  
  • Education Program staff will return materials not to be used in the class. If alternate materials are needed, Education Program staff will place the requests. 

4-5 business days before class 

  • Education Program staff will prepare materials for use in the class session.  
  • Please familiarize yourself with our Classroom Use Guidelines and help us prepare students for their visit by reviewing the below information with them before the class session. Join us in helping students follow these best practices during the session to train them for future visits to the reading room. Thank you! 

For students

  • For all classes, please arrive with clean hands. Or you can wash your hands at the library just before class. It is important to have clean hands so you do not leave behind any traces on the collections you will be interacting with in class. 
  • You will need to leave most personal items in a locker. You can bring a small notebook and your phone or laptop into the classroom. (Pencils will be provided.) These items will be checked by the guard when you leave. You can read more here: Classroom Use Guidelines   
  • You may take photographs (without flash) of the materials you consult in class. In fact, we encourage you to do so (as well as the call slip) so you can request the material later. Please read the Digital Photography Policy.  
  • If your class is in the Gates classroom at Sterling Memorial Library, follow the directions on this guide: Directions - Finding the Gates Classroom & Lockers - Yale University Library