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Telephone Directories at The New York Public Library: Manhattan

Start Here - Manhattan

Latest received print directory in Room 108.

Year Title Call number
1878 - 1988 Manhattan White Pages  *ZAN-13682H [microform]
1928 - 1976  Manhattan Classified/Yellow Pages   *ZAN-13682I
1929 - 1993  Manhattan Address Directory  *ZAN-13682J (with gaps)
1971 - 2020 Cole's cross reference directory: Manhattan 
v.1 addresses v. 2 telephone numbers (No name lookup)
Request in room 121. 
1975 - 2005 Residential and Classified/Yellow Pages. "Phonefiche + Manhattan NY + years
*Not listed in the catalog.
Request at the Reference Desk or by email.
Current Year Reference Solutions -  residential and business
Includes historical file for businesses starting with 2003.
Online with library card.
Current Year Manhattan
Verizon yellow pages, business and residence listings.
Freely available online.

Additional Resources

Print directories take a few days to arrive. It's quicker to use the directories on microfilm listed above.

Cataloged separately with gaps (offsite - can request scans through catalog)
Manhattan white pages (1999 - 2001)
Manhattan yellow pages (2001 - 2011) 
Manhattan Verizon SuperPages -  business and residential (2002 - 2017 with gaps)

United States Telephone Directories 
Call number: ReCAP 12-29922
Manhattan (1958 - 2009 with gaps)
White, yellow pages and address directories are often not clearly identified.
Collection Guide
The Library also has a large collection of print United States telephone directories stored offsite in numbered boxes. You can locate the box number you need using the collection guide (above) and then place your request for delivery through the Research Catalog. Please contact staff for scanning requests from this collection. 

What's in Ancestry Library Edition - Manhattan

Ancestry Library Edition (on-site access only)
City directories and telephone directories are commingled. See below for inventory.
CD = city directory
TD = telephone directory
BD = business directory

Manhattan
1931 CD ( includes the Bronx)
1942 - 1949 TD
1953 TD
1957 TD
1959 TD
1960 TD

New York (Ancestry has duplicate listing with different contents)
1830 - 1922
1925 CD
1926 CD
1927 CD
1928 CD
1929 CD (BD)
1931
1932 BD 
1933 CD
1948 TD
1953 TD

How to Place Requests

First, view the catalog record and check the item's location. 
If the location is listed as offsite:
Click on "Request" for the item and select a location for delivery.

If the location is listed as Schwarzman Building or SASB:
Two or more days ahead, please use this form: Advance Request of Research Material
Less than two days, please email us: generalresearch@nypl.org.  

Request in the Library
Requests can also be placed in the Rose Main Reading Room, room 315. Delivery time is about an hour. We recommend requesting in advance. After items arrive, they are held for two weeks. Please email us if you have questions or need assistance.