Library Services During COVID
HOURS AND ACCESSIBILITY
Public hours
The library is currently closed to the general public.
Hours by appointment
The library is open Monday – Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, by appointment only, to:
- Independent Scholars
- Williams Faculty
- Williams Undergraduates enrolled in graduate-level courses
See Onsite Research, below, for more information.
Extended hours
The library is open for extended hours, with ID card access, to:
- Students in the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art
- Clark Visiting Scholars
- Holders of assigned carrels
Extended hours are:
Sunday 9 am to 11 pm
Monday – Thursday 8 am to 11 pm
Friday 8 am to 6 pm
Saturday 9 am to 6 pm
Reader's cards issued prior to September 2020 are invalid until further notice. No reader's cards will be issued or renewed until the library is able to re-open.
LIBRARY SERVICES
Reference service
Reference and research services are available Monday – Friday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Please call 413-458-0532 or email [email protected] for assistance.
Circulation
Curbside pickup of up to ten books at a time is available Monday – Friday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Books may not be mailed or taken to out-of-town locations.
This service is available to:
- Clark Visiting Scholars
- Clark Employees
- Williams Art Department Faculty
- Williams Graduate Students
- Independent Scholars who have circulation accounts and are living locally
Books MUST be returned in a box or a bag. For the safety of our staff, please do not return loose books.
Onsite research
The Clark library is offering a limited number of reservations for research seats.
Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Please email [email protected] or call 413-458-0532 for information.
The library stacks are closed. Once your reservation is confirmed, you may request the library materials you will need to see, up to a limit of 10 books. Materials and their call numbers can be found by searching the library online catalog.
If you have a library circulation account, please request books through your circulation account. If you do not have a circulation account, you will receive instructions about how to request books through email.
Visiting the Library
Please see below for policies and procedures the library is following to keep all library users safe during this time of COVID-19.
Click here for answers to frequently-asked questions about the library.
Library Policies
Using materials by appointment
Library materials must be used at your seat and may not be taken out of the library, including into the Reading Room.
If you need to use books for more than one day, we will assign a shelf for you to place your books on.
Signing In and Out
All library users are asked to register at the entrance desk on arrival and departure. Security or Visitor Services will sign you in when you arrive and sign you out when you leave.
If you leave the library for more than ten minutes, please register to sign out and sign in again.
Food and Drink
With the exception of covered water bottles, food and drink are not permitted in the library or in the Reading Room.
Do Not Reshelve
Please do not reshelve any materials you use. Leave them in a box on any nearby reshelving cart.
Scanners for public use
Self-service scanners are available on the Lower Level for books and microform materials.
Scans can be emailed or saved to a USB drive. New USB drives are available for purchase at the library reference desk for a nominal fee.
LIBRARY SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Only library staff may access the stacks to pull books. Staff members wear masks and wash their hands frequently or wear gloves when pulling books. All returned books are quarantined before being checked in and reshelved. These procedures ensure that books are safe to use on delivery.
All library users have a designated seat, whether a carrel, an office, or an assigned seat during an appointment. Library users with an appointment are limited to the Ground Floor and the Lower Level, where restrooms and a public-access scanner may be used.
Each appointment seat in the library is assigned only once per day. All seats are disinfected after use.
Face masks are required everywhere in the library at all times. You must bring your own mask.
Hand sanitizer is available throughout the building.
All library users must sign a Clark Community Commitment Agreement, on arrival or when booking a research appointment. This only needs to be done once.