Approximately 80% of the General Collection must be requested through the Library Catalog because the materials are housed in various locations (Library Annex, Storage, and several departments/areas across the Getty campuses). Approximately 20% of the General Collection materials are located in the open stacks on Plaza, L2, and L3 levels in the Research Library. Library materials are housed in various locations. Please contact the Reference Desk if you are not able to request material in the Library Catalog.
If a book is in Special Collections, please make a Special Collections Reading Room appointment by calling the Reference Desk 310-440-7390, stopping by the Reference Desk Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or submitting a Library Request Form.
Requesting Special Collections materials through the Library Catalog does not confirm a Special Collections Reading Room appointment.
Sign in with your patron ID number
Complete your search
Select desired title
Select Request on the left side of the screen on detailed record
Select Request in the request section
(Depending on the record, there are two places Request can be. Example 1: top of request section; Example 2: On the right side of the request section.)
Example 1:
Example 2:
Select SUBMIT to finalize the request
(If the Material Type and Terms of Use fields are blank, please leave the fields blank and proceed with your request.)
When a request is successfully submitted you will see “Request placed” on the screen.
You may also go to My Account to confirm that your request was placed.
Select your name
Select My Requests
Your request items will appear in the requests list.
If a periodical or journal is in Special Collections, please make a Special Collections Reading Room appointment by contacting the Reference Desk 310-440-7390, stopping by the Reference Desk Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or submitting a Library Request Form.
Requesting Special Collections materials through the Library Catalog does not confirm a Special Collections Reading Room appointment.
Sign in with your patron ID number
Complete your search
Select desired title
Select Request on the left side of the screen on detailed record
Navigate to desired journal issue by using Volume/Box down drop list or selecting a page from the records results and then select your desired issue
Select Request (This example is for issue 1990)
Select SUBMIT to finalize the request
When a request is successful the text on screen will indicate “Request placed”
You may also go to My Account to confirm that your request was placed.
Select your name
Select My Requests
Your request items will appear in the requests list.
Sign in with your patron ID number
Complete your search
Select desired title
Select “Connect to finding aid for….” in the detailed record
In the Research Collections Interface, locate the material you need and make a note of the box number
Return to the Library Catalog, by selecting "Request access to physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection."
Select Request
Navigate to box number by using Volume/Box down drop list and then select your desired box number
Select “Special Collections…” (This example is for Box 95)
Select Request
Select the dates for your item booking. These dates should match your Special Collections Reading Room Appointment date(s). Most items can be booked for 2 weeks at a time, and some are limited to 1 week. You can book materials up to a year in advance. Click SUBMIT to finalize the item booking. If the system indicates that "Request conflicts were found", please click on "Check Availability" to find alternate dates or contact Reference for assistance.
When a request is successful the text on screen will indicate “Request placed”
You may also go to My Account to confirm that your request was placed.
Select your name
Select My Requests
Your requested item(s) will appear in the requests list along with the dates of your booking. If you need to change the dates, you may cancel the request and rebook new dates or contact Reference. Please note that, if cancelling and rebooking the item yourself, you will still need to change your associated appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room by contacting Reference.
Special Collections Reading Room appointments: Special Collections and archival material must be consulted by appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room (which is open Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). In order to properly view oversize items which are designated with an asterisk(s) (e.g., box 825*, flat file 526**), additional space in the Special Collections Reading Room will need to reserved.
Booking material through the Library Catalog does not confirm a Special Collections Reading Room appointment.
Restricted-use items: Some items may be restricted and are therefore unable to be requested through the Library Catalog.
Audiovisual materials: Select the items identified as "Use Copy"; original and master recordings do not circulate. If there is not a use copy available, then a request must be submitted to have the item reformatted into a digital copy. Digitization may take up to 8-10 weeks to complete.
For assistance with restricted-use items, audiovisual material digitization and other materials in addition to making an appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room, contact the Reference Desk at 310-440-7390 or stop by Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. You may also submit a Library Request Form.
Sign in with your patron ID number
Complete your search
Select desired title
Select Request on the left side of the screen of the detailed record
Navigate to box number by using Volume/Box down drop list and then select your desired box number
Select “Special Collections…” (This example is for Box 1)
Select Request
Select the dates for your item booking. These dates should match your Special Collections Reading Room Appointment date(s). Most items can be booked for 2 weeks at a time, and some are limited to 1 week. You can book materials up to a year in advance. Click SUBMIT to finalize the item booking. If the system indicates that "Request conflicts were found", please click on "Check Availability" to find alternate dates or contact Reference for assistance. Select SUBMIT to finalize the request
When a request is successful the text on screen will indicate “Request placed”
You may also go to My Account to confirm that your request was placed.
Select your name
Select My Requests
Your requested item(s) will appear in the requests list along with the dates of your booking. If you need to change the dates, you may cancel the request and rebook new dates or contact Reference. Please note that, if cancelling and rebooking the item yourself, you will still need to change your associated appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room by contacting Reference.
Special Collections Reading Room appointments: Special Collections and archival material must be consulted by appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room (which is open Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). In order to properly view oversize items which are designated with an asterisk(s) (e.g., box 825*, flat file 526**), additional space in the Special Collections Reading Room will need to reserved.
Requesting material through the Library Catalog does not confirm a Special Collections Reading Room appointment.
Restricted-use items: Some items may be restricted and are therefore unable to be requested through the Library Catalog.
Audiovisual materials: Select the items identified as "Use Copy"; original and master recordings do not circulate. If there is not a use copy available, then a request must be submitted to have the item reformatted into a digital copy. Digitization may take up to 8-10 weeks to complete.
For assistance with restricted-use items, audiovisual material digitization and other materials in addition to making an appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room, contact the Reference Desk at 310-440-7390 or stop by Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. You may also submit a Library Request Form.
Sign in with your patron ID number
Select your name
Select My Requests
Select X CANCEL for item you would like to cancel.
Select CANCEL IT
This can occur because multiple items or collections are housed within the same box or they are bound together. If this is the case, all items in a box or that are bound together must be checked out to you, including the items you did not request.
Be sure you are signed in with your patron ID. Try another internet browser. If the issue still persists, contact the Reference Desk at 310-440-7390 or stop by Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. You may also submit a Library Request Form.
If you would like to recall an item, simply request the item. There is no function called “recall” in the Library Catalog. Library staff will process your request by retrieving the item from the researcher who currently has the item and it will be checked out to you.
You will receive the item within 6 days, with some exceptions. Special Collections items will be retrieved closer to your Special Collections Reading Room appointments. You will not be notified when your item is ready. However, you can review your loans in My Account to determine if the item has been checked out to you.
