About the Wurzburger Reading Room
Located on the first floor of Hayden Library at ASU Tempe Campus, the Wurzburger Reading Room is open by appointment for researchers to access materials from ASU Library’s Distinctive Collections and Archives. Items in these collections include unusual and one-of-a-kind materials such as rare books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, records related to ASU’s history and much more.
All items in these collections are non-circulating and may only be viewed in person in the reading room. If you are unable to travel to the reading room, staff may be able to provide digital access for selected materials on a case-by-case basis.
To request more information or make an appointment to view materials in the Wurzburger Reading Room, you can contact us by filling out the Ask an Archivist form. Our team will review and respond to your inquiry by email, usually within a few days.
Visit Us
The Wurzburger Reading Room is accessible by reservation only. Please fill out our Ask an Archivist form to request an appointment.
Ask an Archivist
Have questions? We're here to help.
Finding and using our collections
Finding aids for archival collections can be found on Arizona Archives Online, a state-wide database of archival collections, by filtering to Arizona State University collections. To request materials, fill out the Ask an Archivist form with the collection information, including a list of specific folders you would like to view, and note when you would like to have an appointment scheduled. Appointment requests must be made a minimum of five days ahead of time so staff can prepare items. Books and other Distinctive Collections materials can also be located by searching the catalog through ASU Library One Search. ASU affiliates may request an appointment using the “Request ASU Copy” link in the item record; requests for these materials may also be made through Ask an Archivist.
In addition, selected materials from our collections have been digitized and can be found on PRISM. PRISM brings together ASU Library’s unique holdings and archival collections, including digitized historic photographs, handwritten documents, texts and publications, oral history recordings, and a variety of other reformatted audiovisual materials.
Prepare for your appointment
To prepare for an appointment, please review the Researcher guidelines for the Wurzburger Reading Room.
If you have questions about your appointment, please reply to the email confirmation or submit your question using the Ask an Archivist form.
Most appointments are scheduled for the Wurzburger Reading Room, located on the first floor of Hayden Library on the Tempe campus. Access to certain materials held by ASU Library may be scheduled for a different reading room. Alternate reading room locations include:
Design Library Reading Room, located inside the Design and the Arts Library on the Tempe campus, is only available for appointments to access materials in the Design and the Arts Special Collections.
Fletcher Library Reading Room (Labriola Center), located on the third floor of Fletcher Library on the West Valley campus, is only available for appointments to access materials that are part of the Labriola Center’s collections.
All visitors to the Wurzburger Reading Room must follow researcher guidelines; this helps us protect our collections for future users. Review the guidelines prior to your appointment:
To use a camera, you will be asked to fill out a Camera Use Request form upon arrival at your appointment. Review the Camera Use Agreement below prior to your appointment to learn about guidelines regarding use of the camera and any photos or videos taken.
To cite published or unpublished materials from ASU Library’s Distinctive Collections and Archives, please refer to ASU's preferred citation:
[Identification of item], [Collection title], [Identifier], Arizona State University Library.
Prior to including published or unpublished materials in a publication, review the information about requesting rights and permissions below.
We appreciate your interest in supporting ASU Library. Due to the costs associated with processing, cataloging and long-term shelving, ASU Library has a very modest gift program and will only consider accepting rare materials with significant potential for scholarly research. For more information, please review our Gift Materials Policy.