Using the Collection
Rare books
See also: Find rare books | What we collect
Finding what you want
Records for much of the Rare Books Collection are in our Catalogue, but if you do not find the item you are looking for, please ask for help: the item may not yet be catalogued, or an alternative version may be available - for example in microform or online.
If the Library holds both an original and an alternative version and your needs can be met by the alternative version we will ask you to use this instead of the original, in order to preserve the original.
The catalogue record for a rare book gives a call number with the prefix RB. You must be a registered reader to request items from the Rare Books Collection; they are requested online via the Catalogue, using your Reader's Card, and will be delivered to the Petherick Reading Room for use. This generally takes around 30 minutes; you can check whether an item is ready by using the "My Requests" link on the Catalogue.
Please show your NLA Reader's Card, or if you have not brought your Reader's Card, some other form of identification (eg driver's licence, student card or pension card) to the staff at the Petherick Reading Room desk. Material cannot be issued without proof of identity, and cannot be taken out of the Reading Room.
Handling and copying of rare books
Please handle all rare books very carefully. You may be given cotton gloves to wear when using some pre-1901 material, and can borrow a weight to keep a tightly-bound book open. Cradles are also available for books with fragile or damaged spines. You will be asked to use a pencil when taking notes.
Rare Books, items from many Formed Collections, or pre-1901 material, cannot be photocopied by readers, as copying cannot be permitted if there is a risk of physical damage to the book. Photocopies or photographs (digital images or prints) can be requested through our Copies Direct service. Digital photography using your own camera (without flash) may also be permitted - please ask staff at the Petherick Reading Room desk. Remember that the Copyright Act applies to modern rare books or facsimiles, as it does to material in the Library's general collection. Apart from copyright considerations, if you plan to use an image or copy of something from our collections in a publication, you will need to complete a "Permission to Publish" form - these can be obtained from the staff at the desk.
For rare books catalogued before 1989, several useful card files are available through the Petherick Reading Room: a chronological file, arranged by publication date, a provenance file giving access by the name of a previous owner, and a printer/publisher/bookseller file.
The Petherick Reading Room is open for the same hours as the Main Reading Room and most RB material can be retrieved during normal stack service hours. Some, however, particularly that with in the prefix RBRS, can only be retrieved Monday - Friday, 9.00 am - 4.00 pm (note that items with this prefix are accessed through the Manuscripts Reading Room).
Items delivered to the Petherick Reading Room are held for 7 days. If at the end of that time you have not finished with the material, an extension may be allowed - please see the staff at the desk.
