Exploring Dance Collections at the Schomburg Center: Conducting Research

The New York Public Library Research Catalog allows you to do basic and advanced searches.

• For basic searches you can narrow your search by:
  • Keyword
  • Author
  • Title
  • Subject
  • Location: Schomburg Center
• The advanced search function allows you to do all of the above, but also narrow your search by:
  • Format (i.e., book, map, audio)
  • Specific Research Division (i.e., Schomburg Manuscripts and Archives)
  • Language
  • Year
  • Location: Schomburg Manuscripts and Archives

Advanced Searching tips:

• Create a list of terms to use, and try different combinations of 2-3 terms to broaden and narrow your search results.

• Use Boolean terms such as: AND, OR, NOT when searching to produce results using multiple terms.

• Use Quotation marks (" ") for exact phrases and names.

• Try local spellings of names for people, places or events.

To visit the Archives and Manuscripts Portal, visit Archives.nypl.org

By searching for the title of the collection here, you will learn:

• Where within NYPL the collection is housed

• Citation information

• Number of boxes or containers in the collection

• Links to the NYPL digital collections

• Subject headings to find additional collections and items

• Access to the finding aid, if it has been published online.

Click on the tab that reads “Detailed Description” to locate the container list of the finding aid.  If that tab is unavailable, email us at SchomburgArchives@nypl.org to ask for the complete finding aid.

Use the “modify search” feature to narrow the location of collections. You can narrow to the Schomburg Center, or to specific divisions.

The New York Public Library Digital Collections contains 896,001 items and counting. While that is a small fraction of the Library's overall holdings, it is representative of the diversity of our vast collections—from books to videos, maps to manuscripts, illustrations to photos, and more.

Start with a search or begin browsing by item, collection, or division. For a more extensive user guide and primer, see "NYPL Digital Collections Platform: An Introduction."

You can browse just the items that have no known U.S. copyright restrictions. When searching, select the "Search only public domain items" option to filter your results to items with no known U.S. copyright restrictions. On the Browse page, you can easily turn this filter on and off with the “Show Only Public Domain” button in the upper left corner of the page.

The #SchomburgSyllabus archives Black-authored and Black-related online educational resources to document Black studies, movements, and experiences in the 21st century. In connecting these web-archived resources to the Schomburg Center’s own unique materials, the project honors and recognizes the source and strength of Black self-education practices, collective study, and librarianship. The #SchomburgSyllabus is curated by Schomburg Center staff and organized into 27 themes to foster a greater understanding of the Black experience.