Though you don't need a secret password or a retinal scan to study here, it almost seems like it. I had to especially jump through some hoops when I wanted to research some journals in their Rare Books archived collection. I was a grad student at a different university -- so using the library required some form-filling.
You have to lock your backpack away in a separate room and can only take pencil (no pens!), paper, and a laptop with you into the study room. My journals were old and stiff, so they gave me special paperweights (they don't look so 'special' -- more like felt blocks) to weigh them down with. Luckily, my materials weren't so old that I had to be supervised while reading them or use 'special' tweezers to turn the pages.
If you take a moment to soak up the room, you can't help but be awed (I'm an admitted book geek, but still...). The room itself is beautiful, but there's also something thrilling about being in the presence of so many rare and ancient tomes locked away in cages. There are also underground archives, and the contents of these unseen rooms hearken a scene from The Historian (or, for you movie-going types, National Treasure).
Of course, Wilson has other rooms that are less intimidating! Check out the NC writers section, which is set up like a museum. read more