Special instructions are given to patrons in the proper handling of all materials. Note taking is done in pencil, to avoid the possibility of transferring ink to pages and bindings. Special foam cradles and weighted cords protect brittle spines from breaking. Photocopying is not available. Each collection and individual manuscript is carefully cataloged and maintained to preserve its integrity.
Alternative formats are prepared to make the content of the collections accessible to scholars.
Photostats and transcripts of manuscripts and printed music obtained from other research institutions are also available in Special Collections. A subcategory of the photostat format is the Graphic Arts collection of images from eighteenth-century printed and artistic works. Some restrictions may apply to copying photostat or transcript materials obtained from other institutions. The microfilm collection includes county records from selected counties in southeastern Virginia, filmed by the Library of Virginia. The York County records were intensively abstracted and arranged into a biographical index by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Department of Historical Research as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.