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Update: Re-opening of Special Collections Service Reading Room

Author
fionamelhuish
Published Date
August 12, 2020

 

We are looking forward to welcoming researchers back to The MERL and the University of Reading Special Collections reading room from Tuesday 8 September 2020.

This includes all the Museum’s galleries, our reading room, library and archive, and the shop, café and garden.

We have greatly missed you during these difficult months, and are overjoyed to be so close to welcoming you back.

As we return to The MERL and the University of Reading Special Collections, we have taken many steps to ensure that you – our researchers and visitors – will be safe and comfortable during your time in the reading room and elsewhere in our building, and we will be sharing much more news about this very shortly.

We will be posting more information about how to book a slot in the reading room and how we can accommodate your visit, and look forward to updating you again very soon!

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