Using the Collections

Visiting the Reading Room

DeGolyer Library is open by appointment to all researchers. Please make an appointment by emailing degolyer@smu.edu.

DeGolyer Library material can only be used in our Reading Room. Fill out a research application when you arrive. Please bring a current photo ID.

You can use cell phones and digital cameras in the Reading Room. Visit our Image Services page to order high-resolution scans.

overhead book scanner in use

Reference

Contact us to schedule reference interview. If you are unable to visit DeGolyer Library in person, librarians can conduct initial research and provide scans or photocopies for some related material. For larger and more detailed research projects, we can refer you to a proxy researcher who can assist on-site.

Many collections have guides or finding aids. A link to the finding aid can be found in the library catalog record, or at鈥疶exas Archival Resources Online (TARO). You can find research guides to our collections at Special Collections guides.

Class Visits

We will work with you to integrate relevant materials into class sessions, which we can host in our classroom or Fondren Library’s Texana Room. Past instruction sessions have involved researching with primary sources, the evolution of children’s literature, and the history of photography. Contact us to schedule a reference interview or discuss a class visit.