DDC Reading Room Policies and Procedures: Orientation Policies and Procedures

When a user arrives, buzz them in using the button at the reference desk.

• Greet them upon entry and confirm they have an appointment and are arriving at the correct time. If they do not have an appointment and are interested in viewing collections stored offsite, direct them to the DDC website to view available times and remind them we book 6 days in advance. 
  • Call a reference staff member if the user needs more assistance than you can provide. If no one is available, instruct the user to contact us by email and assure them a staff member will be back in touch soon. 
• If they do have an appointment, check them in via the Distinctive Collections Request System. You may need to confirm (clear) their registration in the system if this is their first time visiting in person. Check their MIT or government-issued photo identification. A photo ID is required at every visit.
• Eating and drinking are not allowed. This includes water, candy, cough drops, and gum. Please ask users or staff visitors to dispose of open food or drink, including coffee cups, outside of the room.
• Ask users to store their belongings on the coat rack or in lockers. Clear plastic bags are available to users if they need them to carry items to their table (bins near staff entry).
• Temperatures can fluctuate, so jackets, sweaters, and scarves can be worn in the reading room. If they are removed, they must be stored in a locker. Scarves should not come in contact with collection material.

Explain handling procedures when materials are served.

• Users will receive one box or item at a time. Show them the call slip, which should stay with the material.
• The box should stay on the cart.
• Provide an out card to all users and review the handling information on the card. 
• Users are only allowed to remove one folder at a time. An out card should be used to keep the place. Folders and folder contents should not be reorganized.
• Provide book cradles, snakes, and weights when needed. Instruct patrons on their use. If an item requires special equipment, those instructions should be noted in the "notes" field of the Aeon request. 
• Enclosures and call number book slips can be left on the cart or with staff.
• Provide gloves when viewing photographic or metal materials. 
• Remind users not to lean on materials, write on, fold, trace from, or handle materials in any way likely to damage them. This often happens when users place materials on the table between themselves and their computers.
• If needed, we can provide users with magnifying glasses, rulers, tape measures, a lightbox, or other equipment.

Tell the user to return materials by wheeling the cart up to the door when done, and a staff person will meet them there. 

At the door, ask the user if they are done with the materials and if we can send them back to off-site storage. If the user has requested several items, ask them what they would like to use next and let them know staff will deliver it to the user's table. 

When a patron is finished for the day, but still has materials on hold, check to see if they have another appointment scheduled, and if not, offer to book their next appointment for them (see the Appointments tab for instructions). 

After the initial demonstration and orientation, notice how the user handles the materials and intercede as needed to reiterate information.

Like most limited-access reading rooms, the entrance door is kept locked at all times. Visitors must use the doorbell and be buzzed in by staff. Items do not circulate or leave the room. A security camera is in use at all times. DDC spaces are also secured with a unique door key and alarm systems for staff access only. DDC staff oversee access to the space for contingent workers and non-DDC staff. All DDC staff are responsible for the security of DDC spaces and collections. Below are guidelines for reading room staff:

• The staff door at 14N-120 is for staff use and deliveries when the reading room is open. Only DDC staff should be buzzed-in; all others should be greeted by staff at the door.
• The blinds on the reading room (14N-118) door and sidelight are opened during reading room hours; at other times, staff should adjust the blinds to see out before admitting visitors.
• The card reader at the reading room (14N-118) door only allows access to approved staff; expect others to try to open the door with their MIT ID.
• At the desk, maintain sightlines of all tables (tables 1 and 4 are sometimes difficult to see fully). Avoid seating individuals using DDC Materials (i.e., anyone not using the digital media transfer kits) at table 4 due to its proximity to the door and lockers. 
• Conduct regular visual scans of the room seated and standing at the desk or walking through the room, for example, to re-shelve a reference publication or tidy up a recently used table. 
• Try to reserve table 4 for patrons with disabilities and others who need an accessible research space. The reading room can be difficult to navigate when it is busy and lots of carts are in the aisles. 
• Users who do not have an appointment can not use the reading room for other purposes, such as studying.
  • The reading room is for using DDC materials or media transfer kits; it is not a study space.
• Intervene immediately when a user is not handling materials safely; remind them of the handling guidelines printed on the out card.
• In an emergency, Dial 100 on an MIT telephone. 
• If the building is being evacuated, instruct users to leave immediately and then leave with other DDC staff. Do not stay to secure materials and spaces: staff safety is more important.
• If a user behaves in a way that makes you feel threatened in any way, immediately call on another staff person.
• A panic button is under the left side of the reference desk, which alerts the MIT Police (tel: 617-253-1212).

• Direct users to use the MIT "GUEST" wireless network. It does not require a password to use and is open to all on campus.
• Remind users to silence their devices; use headphones; take phone calls outside the reading room; keep conversations low or step outside.
• Users may use cell phones or cameras without a flash to take photographs of collections materials for study, scholarship, or research purposes only, and as allowed by copyright law.