Collection Access

The Harvard Plate Stacks are open to researchers by appointment.

Research Appointments

Appointments can be scheduled Monday through Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and are subject to staff availability. The reading room closes at 4:30pm.  

Please contact us at least two weeks prior to your visit to ensure materials can be made available. Research visits longer than two days require approval by the Plate Stacks curator.

If you have questions about access to the Plate Stacks, please email us at HarvardPlateStacks@cfa.harvard.edu.  

Follow this link for more information about tours and class visits. 

Requesting Materials

  • Please request materials in writing to HarvardPlateStacks@cfa.harvard.edu two weeks before your visit.
  • The Plate Stacks is undergoing a multi-year inventory process. During this time, some collection materials might not be retrievable.
  • Reference scans of already digitized materials will be made available upon request.
  • As of 2023, the Williamina Fleming Collection is in a multi-year conservation and preservation assessment phase, including determining sensitivity of the plates to light exposure over time. Until further notice, physical access to materials in the Williamina Fleming Collection requires research justification and curatorial consent. 

Reading Room Guidelines

  • All researchers will be required to present a photo ID.
  • Bags and coats are not permitted in the Plate Stacks. Researchers are invited to store their belongings in our secure office space. However, we are not responsible for lost or stolen items.
  • When in the historic collections space, all visitors, including members of the CfA and Harvard affiliates, must be accompanied by a staff member.
  • Collection materials may only be consulted in designated spaces and may not be removed.
  • No food or drinks, including bottled water, are allowed in the Plate Stacks.
  • Pens are not permitted while handling special collection materials. Pencils will be made available, and laptops are encouraged.
  • Resting any equipment directly on collection material is prohibited.
  • Researchers must show all bags, books, and papers to a staff member whenever they leave the stacks.
  • Extended Research Visits to the Plate Stacks: Visitors coming to the Plate Stacks for more than one day will be required to fill out a few forms in addition to abiding by the rules stated in the Researcher Guidelines:
  • Accessibility: We are committed to supporting all visitors to the Observatory. Unfortunately we are constrained by the 19th (and 20th) century buildings in which our collections are stored. For this reason, please contact us if you require the use of a wheelchair, or other accommodations, so we can make sure you are able to use objects in our collection.

Objects Handling

The majority of the objects in the Plate Stacks collection are fragile, rare, or in a special format that requires help from our staff, who are trained to recognize each object’s unique condition and handling requirements. 

  • A reading room attendant will be present for the duration of your visit.
  • Physical handling of collection materials is by staff only. This includes pulling, reshelving, removing/replacing jackets, positioning plates on light tables, etc.
  • We recognize there may be a specific need or that a particular object may allow for a researcher to handle it in consultation with a staff member. Requests to handle collection materials will be considered and assessed on a case by case basis based on each object. Please make us aware ahead of your visit if you anticipate that you will need to personally handle any objects.
  • Conservation assessments of historic glass plate photographs have indicated they are sensitive to prolonged light exposure. Please be mindful of this when using light tables and ask for assistance to turn off the light table or remove the plate when it is not in active use. 

All visitors to the Plate Stacks must abide by the researcher guidelines and plate viewing practices outlined in this document. If these guidelines are not followed, access may be restricted or revoked.