The museum library, the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries, located near the Michigan Avenue entrance, requires ALL visitors including members of the SAIC community, to make an appointment in advance and to request the materials you wish to see through their library catalog. Flaxman librarieans created these step-by-step instructions here for SAIC community. Information for appointments by the general public is available here. You can email questions at reference@artic.edu, however, replies average 1-2 weeks for a response.
NOTE: items can only be viewed in the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries, they cannot be checked out.
The archives at the museum, which include the School's institutional archives, require the similar appointment process as visiting the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries. Details can be found here under Visiting the Archives. You can email the staff at the Art Institute of Chicago Archives at archives@artic.edu with questions.