Reading service

Learn about the resources available, how to request documentation and the rules for face-to-face consultations.

Collections and Archives

The reading room service provides access to works and documents, in both physical and digital formats, from the Art Library – including both current collections and special collections – and from the Gulbenkian Archives, including the archives of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian and the archives of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The reading service also offers, in open access, a reference collection of physical books and recent issues of subscribed newspapers and journals.

Research

Research into the documentation held by the Art Library’s collections may be carried out through the Art Library catalogue, accessible on the Internet and, in part, via WorldCat and the Rossio Platform.

With regard to the Gulbenkian Archives collections, the catalogue accessible on the Internet provides access only to the documentation of the Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian Archives.

Research in both the Art Library catalogue and the Gulbenkian Archives catalogue may also be carried out on site, using the catalogue access terminals available in the reading room; in this case, both the Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian Archives and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Archives are available for consultation.

The reference service provides specialised guidance and support in defining research strategies and optimising the use of the catalogues, whenever necessary.

Requests

Access to and consultation of works and documents from the Art Library and the Gulbenkian Archives require a request.

Only users with a valid registration may request documentation (See User registration).

Requests for works from the Art Library’s general bibliographic collection

Requests for works from the Art Library’s general bibliographic collection – including current collections of books, catalogues, journals and newspapers – may be made in the following ways:

• Same-day request
• Advance request

Same-day requests, for consultation on the day itself, are subject to the following conditions:

Where and how

Same-day requests must be made in person, using the catalogue access terminals available in the reading room.

The maximum number of daily requests a user may submit depends on the user profile assigned at the time of registration.

Who

The following users may submit same-day requests:

1. Users holding a valid card.
2. Users who have made an advance request for works and who need, on the same day, to complement or extend their consultation.
3. New users who register in person at the reference service on the same day.

When

On the day of consultation, between 10:00 and 17:00.

Same-day requests for consultation are subject to the availability of unreserved seats.

Advance requests are subject to the following conditions:

Where

Advance requests must be made remotely, via the Art Library website, using the appropriate form.

When

1. Documentation requested by 17:00 on a working day may be consulted on site between 10:00 and 19:00 on the following working day.
2. Documentation requested after 17:00 on a working day may only be consulted on site between 10:00 and 19:00 on the second following working day (for example, if a work is reserved after 17:00 on Tuesday, it may only be consulted on site between 10:00 and 19:00 on Thursday).
3. Documentation requested between 17:00 on Friday and 24:00 on Sunday will only be available for consultation on the following Tuesday.

How

• Consult the Art Library catalogue available online and carry out your searches.
• Select the works you wish to request (the maximum number of works depends on the user profile assigned at registration), confirming their availability for consultation.
• Copy the relevant references into the form and submit it.

Advance requests guarantee the user a reserved seat in the reading room for the requested day.

Requests for documentation from the Art Library’s special collections and the Gulbenkian Archives

Requests for access to and consultation of documentation from the Art Library’s special collections and the Gulbenkian Archives require authorisation, must be submitted via a specific form, and are subject to the terms and conditions set out therein.

Preferably, such requests should include specific documentary references (Title, Author/Producer, Date, Call Number/Identifier) obtained through searches in the Art Library catalogue or the Gulbenkian Archives catalogue, as applicable. However, if searches in those catalogues do not return relevant references, requests should alternatively include keywords relating to relevant subjects (themes, events, people, organisations, works, objects, places and/or specific dates) pertinent to the research.

Consultation will take place on the day and at the time agreed with the reading service and communicated by email.

Access and consultation

Access to and consultation of physical and digital documentation from the Art Library and Gulbenkian Archives may take place in different spaces and platforms, depending on the nature, format and access status of the documentation:

1. Physical documentation
   – Reading room, with a capacity of 86 seated places, including an area designated for consultation of restricted-access documentation.
   – Research offices.
2. Restricted-access digital documentation
   – Reading room – area for access to and consultation of digitised documentation, with a capacity of 5 seated places.
3. Open-access digital documentation
   – Art Library catalogue or the Gulbenkian Archives catalogue online.
   – Art Library Gallery on Flickr.

Reading room

Only users with a valid registration, a submitted request, and subject to seat availability may access the reading room.

Consultation of documentation in any area of the reading room must end 15 minutes before closing time (18:45 during winter opening hours and 17:15 during summer opening hours).

Research offices

The Art Library and Archives have a limited number of research offices that may be made available to senior researchers undertaking research projects requiring intensive use of information sources held in the Art Library or Gulbenkian Archives collections.

The allocation of research offices depends on availability at any given time and is granted for maximum periods of three months.

Users of the Art Library and Archives may apply for the allocation of a research office by submitting a reasoned application to [email protected], including the following information:

• Identification.
• Academic or scientific affiliation.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Description of the research project, including information on the consultation strategy and use of the Art Library and Archives information and documentation resources that justifies the need for a research office.
• Intended period of use of the office.
• Opinion from the affiliated institution or the project supervisor.

In return, the researcher must provide the Art Library and Archives with a copy of the documentary outcome of their research, together with permission for it to be incorporated into the collections and made available to the public within an agreed timeframe.

Reproduction

The reproduction of works and documents from the Art Library and Gulbenkian Archives collections is subject to the terms and conditions available under Document Reproduction.

Reproduction of works from the Art Library’s general bibliographic collection

The reading service provides photocopiers and a scanner that allow, in strict compliance with the applicable legal provisions, the reproduction of works from the Art Library’s general bibliographic collection that do not have “Restricted” status. These machines are available on a self-service basis and are switched off at 18:45 (17:15 during summer opening hours).

Reproduction of works and documents from the Art Library’s special collections and the Gulbenkian Archives

The reproduction and authorisation of use of physical and digital works and documents belonging to the Art Library’s special collections and the Gulbenkian Archives are subject to the terms and conditions set out in Reproduction and Licensing of Rights and must be requested using the appropriate form.