Regulations for Visitors to the Reading Room

1. Visiting the National Archives Building

  • Visitors must register at the reception desk on arrival and when leaving the building.
  • On the first visit a registration form must be filled in, after which the visitor receives a reader’s ticket to be shown on later visits.
  • Portfolios, large handbags, plastic bags and the like must be left in the reception office.
  • Only necessary papers, portable PCs and writing material are allowed in the reading room. The receptionist is authorized to check such items when the visitor leaves the building. Visitors intending to bring with them into the reading room documents that might be mistaken for archival material should therefore declare them to the receptionist on arrival.
  • Coats must be left in the cloakroom where lockers are provided.
  • Visitors are admitted to the foyer, exhibition areas, ference room and reading room. If you wish to contact people elsewhere in the building, you must apply to an officer in the reference room, or to the receptionist.
  • Visitors may bring their own food and beverages to the cafeteria. Eating or drinking is prohibited elsewhere in the building.
  • Silence is requested in the reading room. Be considerate when using a portable PC. Mobile telephones must be switched off in the reading room as well as the reference room.

2. Loans into the Reading Room

  • Archival material for use in the reading room must be ordered on requisition slips in the reference room. The staff will give you instructions and advice, and assign a seat in the reading room.
  • The staff at the librarian’s desk in the reference room provides information on printed literature. We provide special requisition slips for printed literatur. We do not lend books for use outside the reading room.
  • Archival material and books ordered will be brought to your assigned seat. After use the visitor must deliver the material to the reading room inspector. On request the material may be reserved for up to one week
  • Before using copied documents (bound paper copies, microfilms, microfiche), visitors must apply to the reading room inspector for instructions. You may help yourself to books placed in the reading room.

3. Using Archival Material

  • Archival documents must be handled with care. You must not use them as support for writing, or make any marks in them. You must never remove any of their contents. Records may only be brought from your assigned seat if you need advice concerning the contents, and at the discretion of the reading room inspector.
  • Archival material must not be disarranged. Visitors are permitted to have a limited amount of bound volumes or record boxes on their desks at one time. Only one box or parcel may be opened at a time. The order of loose records must not be rearranged. This also applies to documents selected for copying. In your own interest, you should inform the reading room inspector if you come across any disarrangement in the material.
  • Respect the written sources. Always write down where the information has been found. Information that might injure, offend or hurt someone must not be brought any further.

4. Requisitions for Copies

  • See special instruction sheet provided by the reading room inspector.

5. Using the Reading Room Seats

  • The seats in the reading room are for visitors using archival material and volumes from the library. There are no reservations for permanent seats. If there is a queue to use the microfilm or microfiche readers, the time alotted to each user may be limited.

6. Violations of these Regulations

  • In the case of a serious violation of these regulations, visitors may be refused admission to the reading room. Theft or wilful damage will be reported to the police.