Advance Reserve

Researchers who are coming from outside the metropolitan Washington D.C. area may request that materials from the general collections be retrieved in advance of their visit. Readers should first identify needed materials by searching the Library's online catalog. Advance reserve requests may then be submitted via the Collections Access, Loan and Management (CALM) Division's Ask A Librarian webform. (Catalog records describing materials from the general collections will bear the notation "Request in: Jefferson or Adams Bldg General or Area Studies Reading Rms"). Be sure the specify the author, title, and call number of each item requested. It is recommended that researchers travelling to Washington D.C. from within the U.S. submit advance reserve requests at least one week prior to their arrival; researchers coming from outside the U.S. should submit their requests at least two weeks in advance.

The Library also offers a special advance retrieval service for any researcher needing to review a large number of volumes from the general collections (for example, dozens of books on a single topic, or the entire run of a particular journal or magazine). Researchers should submit such requests via the CALM Division's Ask A Librarian webform. For more information on these services, consult the CALM Division's Advance Reserves web page.