The Reading Room of the Field Museum Library serves as the center of activity for the daily operations of the library. Museum staff, volunteers and the general public visit the Reading Room for its reference services, access to computers, entrance to the general stacks, and as a quiet atmosphere in which to study. It has been a long-standing tradition in the museum to provide open access to library collections and services. That being said, many library users are granted 24-hour access to the library’s collections via card readers.
While the Reading Room is often used to host evening events, lectures and tours, the Library discourages the use of the area for daytime functions, unless it is specifically for a library-related purpose. Daytime events in the reading room are disruptive to library service and access to the collections is subsequently denied to any potential users. The use of the Library Reading Room for special events is at the discretion of the Museum Librarian. In some extraordinary cases, exception can be made.