Mu Room Regulations

Notice: Temporary Pause of Access to Rare Book and Archival Collections
Due to limited operational capacity during the month of July 2025, access to the rare book and archival collections at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library will be temporarily unavailable. 
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. 

 

Before Your VisitEdit

Requesting Materials & Booking Appointments

Rare books and archival materials in the East Asian Library are available for research purposes and can be accessed by appointment only.

These materials do not circulate and must be consulted in the East Asian Library's Reading Room.

  1. How to Request Materials:

    • To request library materials, please email your list of items to: access.eal@utoronto.ca. Please include as much detail as possible (e.g., title, author, call number, volume, etc.). 

    • Item Limits: You may request up to three (3) rare book titles or three (3) archival boxes per appointment.

    • Appointments: Access is by appointment only, and appointments must be scheduled in advance. You will receive an email notification once your appointment is confirmed and the requested materials are ready for access.

    • Note: Depending on the condition of the items, not all physical collections may be accessible.
       

  2. Retrieval Time:

    • Processing Time: Please note that due to ongoing operational and staffing constraints, requests and appointments may take up to 15 business days to process.

When You ArriveEdit

  1. Check-in

    • Upon arrival at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, please check in at the Loan Service Desk with your TCard or a valid government-issued photo ID. 

  2. Item Storage

    Please store the following items in the provided lockers:

    • Outerwear, bags, binders, and folders
    • Laptop cases, pens, and other personal items
    • Food and beverages (not permitted in the Reading Room) 

    Permitted Items in the East Asian Library Reading Room:

    • Notebooks and pencils
    • Laptop computers or tablets (without cases/sleeves)
    • Handheld cameras
    • Mobile phones
    • External drives or USB keys 

  3. Supervision

    • Your TCard or government-issued photo ID will remain at the Loan Service Desk during your visit.
    • You will be supervised by Loan Service Desk staff while in the Reading Room.
    • Please note: Loan Service Desk staff will inspect notebooks or laptops when used in the Reading Room upon your exit. 

  4. Accessing Materials

    • Once you are registered and your personal items are stored, a staff member will check out the materials you requested and guide you to the Reading Room.

    Reading Room (8049F) Guidelines

    To ensure the proper care of library materials, please adhere to the following rules:

    1. Handling ALL Materials

    • Handle all items with clean, dry hands.
    • Use pencil only for note-taking.
    • Never mark pages or write on paper placed on top of any item.
    • Do not use sticky notes or rest laptops/notebooks on library items.
    • Avoid touching the surface of text, illustrations, or illuminated pages.
    • Turn pages and open maps or folded items slowly and carefully.
    • Only acid-free flyers should be used as bookmarks. Please ask staff for appropriate bookmarks.

          Note: Staff are available to assist with any handling questions. The Reading Room door must remain closed once entered.

    2. Supervision

    • Keep all materials visible to staff supervising the Reading Room at all times.

    3. Additional Requests

    • If you need to revisit and access the material again, submit a new request and book a new appointment.

    4. Exiting the Reading Room

    • Reading Room hours: Monday - Friday, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

    • Personal items used in the Reading Room, including notebooks and laptops, may be inspected upon exit in case any library material was inadvertently placed inside them.

    Additional Handling Guidelines for Archival Materials

    When working with archival materials, please follow these additional instructions:

    1. Handling Boxes and Folders

      • Take only one box at a time to your desk.
      • Remove and work with only one folder at a time from the box.
         

    2. Maintaining Order

      • Keep the folders in the exact order they are arranged within the box.
      • Use acid-free bookmarks to mark your place if needed.
      • If you notice an error in the arrangement, inform the staff immediately—do not attempt to rearrange the materials yourself.
         

    3. Special Handling for Non-Textual Materials

      • Use the provided gloves when handling photographs, transparent slides, or other non-textual items.