Requesting, Handling and Returning Material

Camels transporting telegraph poles during a trek by Posts and Telegraphs staff to Karima, 1915 (SAD.793/4/34).

Making Requests

Anyone can book an appointment with us to view items in our collections. You can search through our online catalogues to find relevant material for your research. Each item has a unique reference number which you will find on the catalogue. You can contact us on our enquiry form to book an appointment. Please give 3 working days’ notice and the reference numbers of the material you would like to see.  We can produce up to 20 items per day for you and will have the material out ready for you when you arrive.

Handling

When you register on your first visit, you will be asked to watch a video on how to safely handle items in our collections. Preserving our collections is extremely important, so please pay attention and follow this guidance at all times. Our staff will always provide assistance and be on hand to help if there are any problems.  Please always ask if you are unsure so we can prevent any damage before it occurs. If you would like to learn more about handling special collections material before your visit, we have a written guide too.  

Occasionally a particularly fragile item may not be able to be produced for consultation, and will need to be conserved by our team of specialist conservators and possibly digitised to make it accessible again.

Returning your Material

Please tell a member of staff once you have finished with an item. If it is a bound item, or a fragile item, a staff member will come to your desk and retrieve it. If not, you can bring your item back to the library desk yourself in one of the document trays. If you need to consult an item more than once within your appointment time, please let a member of staff know. We will be happy to keep material out ready for you. If your visit is scheduled over multiple consecutive days we can also hold that item back for you to consult the next day.