The Reading Room of the Archives and Special Collections Center has undergone a minor facelift! With a brand-new conference table in the Mr. and Mrs. George L. Steciuk Conference Room, and shifting and re-appropriating of furniture in the William T. and Marie J. Henderson Special Collections Reading Room, we have opened up the space to give researchers (and staff) a little more room.
Use of the Reading Room is a very important part of conducting research in any archives or special collections. Because our materials are often old, fragile, and sensitive to light damage or other causes of deterioration, and because all of our materials are meant to be kept safe for use by researchers 50 or even 100 years from now (or more!), the use of archival and special collections materials must be carefully monitored and controlled. So a Reading Room provides a space for researchers to access materials in a controlled environment that also allows them to make use of library resources often necessary as supplementary research items. We provide wireless and desktop access to all library resources as well as many vital reference books, volumes, yearbooks, and microfilm. With our new desk set-up, we can accommodate more researchers in the Reading Room while providing better security for our materials. Our new conference table will more comfortably accommodate classes that visit the Archives or groups who make use of the conference room. The new arrangement also frees more of our beautiful glass walls and makes the space feel more open.
There is still some re-decorating to do, to showcase some of our framed pictures and items, but the Reading Room is ready for our fall visitors and researchers. Come by the Archives to see some of our early yearbooks, to conduct original research on the Archdiocese of Newark or Seton Hall University, or check out the rotating displays in our exhibit cabinets. You’re always welcome!
