Request an appointment

We currently have two options for appointments to view materials.

In-person appointments for the DC Reading Room

You must have a Distinctive Collections Request System (DCRS) account in order to schedule appointments and submit and track requests.
Appointments (and materials) must be requested at least 4 business days in advance.
- Most materials take 4 business days to retrieve, but some materials must be requested 10 business days in advance so they can be reviewed for any access restrictions. More notice is always appreciated. See Requesting materials for more information.
Due to limited seating in our reading room, your appointment reserves only one seat. Research partners and assistants must request their own appointments using their own DCRS account.
We do not currently limit the length or frequency of appointments, but may need to do so in the future.

Create or log in to your DCRS account.
Once you have an account you can make an appointment in several ways:
- Before requesting materials: Go to your DCRS account, select the “Appointments” tab and then select “Schedule Appointments”.
- When you submit a materials request from our catalog: From the Request for On-Site Use page see the “Visit Information” section. Choose an existing appointment or click on “New Appointment”.
- When you submit a materials request from ArchivesSpace: From the “Unsubmitted Requests page choose an existing appointment or click on “New Appointment”.
Choose the date and time you would like to visit and double-click on the selected area.
Provide a name for the appointment (optional).
Adjust your start/end time if needed.
Click “Schedule” and then “Close”

Your appointment will appear in your DCRS account while awaiting staff review.
Your appointment will not be confirmed until your material request(s) have been submitted. As noted above, most materials take 4 business days to retrieve, but some materials must be requested 10 business days in advance so they can be reviewed for any access restrictions.
After 1-2 business days, if materials have been requested, you’ll receive an email confirming your appointment. If your appointment cannot be confirmed, staff will explain the reason and/or next steps.
In rare cases, after confirmation, due to issues out of our control, we may need to reschedule your appointment.

Things to know:

Appointments must be requested at least one week in advance (more notice is appreciated).
You will be limited to 10 folders/items per appointment. If you need to see more than 10 folders/items, please schedule two appointments.

Before you schedule an appointment, create an account in our Distinctive Collections Request System. This will facilitate the work needed to schedule your appointment.
Email us at distinctive-collections@mit.edu and let us know you’d like to schedule a virtual consult.

After scheduling:

Once your appointment is confirmed, you’ll be sent instructions on how to use our DCRS to request materials.
Please place your requests as soon as your appointment is scheduled to give us ample time to retrieve and review your materials.

If you have any questions about booking appointments, contact us at distinctive-collections@mit.edu.