Turntable cover


If TT has attached cover which swings up, what position should it be in when playing? How does it affect the sound in either position? Or should I remove the cover altogether? If I do, how do I keep the TT free of dust?
TIA for your replies. 
gg987
Post removed 
Keep the cover closed at all times. Make sure you have nice soft felt pads at the points it contacts the base. The cover will actually drop the sound pressure levels around the tonearm and cartridge. As the cartridge tracks the record static electricity is generated which draws dust to the record immediately. I use a grounded sweep arm which discharges the record while it is playing. Sleeve City sells them. They are cheap and very effective. Even if the cover detracts from the sound quality which it definitively does not, keeping your records pristine is more important. The easiest way to clean your  records is do not let them get dirty in the first place.
Seems to me that a dust cover is a large resonating empty box that attracts vibration and delivers it to the table. My Linn cover, when open, just slides out of the hinge slots very easily and the hinges stay put on the lid...I simply stick the lid on a little shelf nearby and back on it goes after a listening session. My old Linn Basik/Akito is utterly immune to audible vibration due to the 3 large cylndrical rubber feet that are loosely attached (or wiggly, per design), and somehow it just keeps on truckin’...great table that hangs on even while I’m often tempted to replace it for no particular reason (the desire for a new and shiny object?).