Kheel Center: Finding Resources: Requesting Materials

Special Collections are described in a variety of search and discovery tools. See below for how to find and request materials in all formats. We ask that you request materials at least one week in advance of your visit, in order to give us time to retrieve collections that may be stored off-site or require curatorial review. Reference librarians and archivists are always able to assist you in finding or requesting materials. Contact rareref@cornell.edu or kheelref@cornell.edu if you have any questions or need assistance. 

You can request individually cataloged items, such as books, directly from the Cornell University Library Catalog. 

Select the appropriate request button from the options to the right of an item's catalog record. To view an item in the reading room, select Request item for Reading Room Delivery. To order a scan, select Request item for Scanning.

The buttons will direct you to the request screen. In some instances, the repository might hold multiple copies, volumes, or journal issues of a title.

Check the box next to the items you wish to view. Selected items will appear in the pane on the right side of the screen.

When you have finished adding items, click Submit Request at the bottom of the screen.

Archival material can be requested from the finding aid interface. To request materials from an archival collection, first navigate to the record for an individual File. Click the Request button in the upper-right corner of the page.

Please note that although the system allows requesting on the item level, you do not need to place multiple requests for items within the same box.

If you find an archival collection through the catalog, you can navigate to its finding aid by clicking Finding Aid to the right of the collection's catalog record.

NOTE: the Finding Aid button will take you to the Collection Overview. You must select an individual File in order to request material.

Once you have clicked the Request button, the request form in your Special Collections Account will be pre-populated with information about the item(s) you are requesting. If requesting from a finding aid, you will be asked to select a Request type.

Reading Room Requests

Request Item for Reading Room Delivery indicates that you plan to visit a library to view the material in person. You can add a request to an existing appointment using the drop-down or create a new appointment by clicking Schedule a New Appointment. If you plan to visit a repository on more than one day, you can submit separate requests for each day. This will help staff prioritize the materials pulled for you each day.

We encourage you register and submit requests one to two weeks in advance. Requests for materials held off-site require at least five business days to process.

Scan Request

Request Item for Scanning will allow you to request a digital copy of the item(s). Please complete the order form, indicating your preferred format (PDF, TIFF, MP3, etc.), delivery method, and service level.

Repositories might have different policies, reproduction fees, or access restrictions governing the use of their materials. Please refer to the reproductions and permissions guidelines for the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives.

Saved Requests

Save Request for Later will save the item(s) without ordering. This can be helpful, because some of our Special Collections libraries limit the number of items you may order per visit.

You can find all your requests by selecting an option under Order History, found in the top navigation menu of your Special Collections Account.

Once logged in to your your Special Collections Account, you will be able to review the requests you have submitted.

Reading Room requests will initially have the status of Request Submitted or Awaiting Annex Processing depending on where the item is stored. Once the item has been paged by staff at the repository and is available for your appointment, the status will be Item On Hold. Scanning requests will have the status Awaiting Repro Processing.

Requests for items housed in the same box will be combined into one request within your Special Collections Account.

You may only have 15 active requests at a time; any additional requests you submit will be automatically directed to the Saved Requests queue. All requests submitted as Save Request for Later will also appear in this queue. 

To manage your Saved Requests, navigate to the Saved Requests option under Order History.