About the Field Museum Library

The Reading Room provides 3 computers for research use. Users can search the Library's website, online catalog, photo archives database, or check their museum email. Please be respectful of other users and limit use if others are waiting.

Printers, Scanners, and Photocopier

Printing, scanning, and photocopying are available in the Library. Wireless printing is not available. To schedule use of the scanner, please email library@fieldmuseum.org.

How to Save Your Work

• Bring a storage device (flash drive or other external drive) on which to save your work.
• Save your work online in an online data storage space (Google Docs).
• E-mail your work to yourself as an attachment.

Ask a Library staff member if you need assistance. The Library lends flash drives, but none are available for purchase.

In adherence with U.S. copyright guidelines, the Library will not scan more than:

• Up to two chapters from a book (amounting to no more than 20% of the entire book). 
• Up to two articles from an issue of a periodical or newspaper (amounting to no more than 20% of a single issue). 

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of the photocopies or other reproductions of the copyright materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, library and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than in private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The University of Chicago Library reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order, if, in its judgement fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

It is the researcher's sole responsibility to obtain any necessary permission from the holders of copyright for reproduction or publication of material. However, as a matter of good scholarly practice, we request that researchers acknowledge the Field Museum as the location of the original materials.

Publishing/Reproducing Material under Copyright

With a few exceptions, the Field Museum does not hold the copyright to archives, manuscripts, and printed materials in its collections. This includes writings and correspondence of  individuals, records of independent organizations and institutions, and media created by individuals without an official relationship to the Museum. Because the Field  Museum does not hold the copyright to such materials, it cannot grant permission for reproduction or publication. Permission can be granted only by the holders of copyright in the materials. It is the researcher’s sole responsibility to identify the copyright holders in the materials and to obtain any necessary permission from these copyright holders that is required under United States copyright law.

Library patrons with their own laptops can access the Internet using the Museum's wireless network from anywhere in the Library. Printing is not available from personal laptops.