The Folger Institute hosts a variety of programs in different formats—from conferences to year-long colloquia—and the needs of participants vary from program to program. Please refer to the checklist included with your letter of acceptance for details about your specific program.
Please note that programs that do not meet in either the Deck A or Deck B seminar rooms may not require Reader registration; however, if you intend to use the library during your time at the Folger, you must submit the requisite materials to gain admittance to the Reading Rooms.
It is Central Library policy that letters used to register readers must be signed and on university letterhead. Therefore, an applicant who will need to register as a new reader should urge his or her letter writers to follow up emailed letters of support with mailed hard copies. A seminar checklist, included in the welcome packet, will specify details about your own registration status. You can also contact the registrar, as listed in the contact information at the beginning of this guide.
Advance Materials
Your seminar or course director may send a packet of advance materials prior to the start of your program. This packet may contain a welcome letter, a list of participants, and, sometimes, readings to complete before your first meeting. It is important that Folger Institute staff have your current address in order to send advance materials to you.
Listservs
Some program directors arrange to have a listserv set up prior to the first meeting. This is a wonderful way to share information before, during, and after your Institute program. Please take advantage of this resource! The email address on your application will be the address subscribed to the listserv, so please advise us if you prefer to subscribe an additional or a different email address.
Seminar Reserve Shelves
The Reading room staff also maintains reserve shelves, in addition to your personal reserve shelf, for semester-length and year-long seminars on Deck B. You must sign out the reserved books on a clipboard list on the shelf and return the books to the shelf when you have finished with them so that they are available to other seminarians.
Policies and Procedures
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Absences You are expected to attend each session of your program. In the event that you are unable to attend a session, you should notify Institute staff. Additionally, if you have received a grant-in-aid and you miss a session, you are responsible for the return of funds on a pro-rated basis for the missed session.
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Visitors In accordance with the library’s security policies, it is normally not possible to bring visitors into the Reading Rooms. Visitors are welcome, however, to midday colloquia or evening receptions hosted by the Institute.
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Evaluations All participants in Folger Institute programs are required to evaluate programs at their conclusion. At the end of your program, we will provide you with a link to an online evaluation form through which you can submit your responses anonymously.
