These are the house rules for STACKS. Reserving a desk or taking a seat means you are happy to read by them. None of it is a surprise — it is the same quiet courtesy that keeps twenty-two stations and a room full of readers running smoothly, at a hush.

Hours & booking

The hall opens at 10:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at the weekend, and the last lamp goes off at 23:00 every night. Reserve a desk through the form on the front page — pick the row, the date and the hours — or walk in when a seat is open. If plans change, tell us before your window begins and we release the station; you only pay for time under a lamp, so a cancelled reservation costs nothing but the heads-up.

The whisper zone

STACKS runs at a reading-room hush. Keep voices low, take big calls and out-loud coaching to the lobby, and let the headset carry the sound so the hall stays quiet — sound lives in the headset, never on the speakers. Ranks and leaderboards here are scores and time on the clock, kept for pride and personal best, never money on the line. There is no wagering of any kind at STACKS, and anyone trying to arrange it will be asked to leave.

Stations & the stacks

• Each desk has its own green lamp, a glass carrel and a closed-back headset — nudge them to suit you, but leave the mountings alone.
• Borrow freely from the shelves between the rows; return every artbook and guide spine-out where you found it, so the next reader finds it too.
• Nothing walks out the door — the books stay in the hall — but every guest goes home with a stamped paper bookmark.
• Bring your own mouse, headset or keyboard and plug into the front panel; take your kit home, as we do not store gear overnight.

Food, drink & care

Coffee is welcome as long as it travels in a lidded cup — closed lids only, near the keys. Open drinks and anything crumbly stay at the front counter, away from the desks and the books. Treat the hardware like it is yours for the hour: report a fault at the desk and we will move you to another lamp.

The guest card & liability

Every visit earns one stamp on your guest card; fill the card and the next hour is on us, inked by hand at the front desk. We keep the equipment maintained and the hall in good order, but you play at your own comfort and look after your own belongings — the club is not responsible for items left on the floor. We may update these rules as the hall grows; the current version always lives here on this card.