Here are some things you should know before visiting the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division at the Schomburg Center. For additional information, check out the Plan Your Research Visit page.
As of June 25, Virtual Research consultations are no longer required before in-person research appointments can be booked, however, they will still be offered.
Research Appointments must be scheduled a minimum of 7 days in advance of your desired appointment date. This allows us to make sure the materials you want to use can get to the Schomburg from offsite storage.
Appointments are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.
Our reading room will be open to scheduled researchers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 11 am-5 pm.
Up to 6 researchers can book an appointment in a single day.
Each researcher is limited to 6 items during their research appointment.
Masks are encouraged but not required.
Research consultations are virtual appointments with the reference librarian of this division.
During the research consultation, you will be able to ask questions about collections, learn how to search the NYPL Catalog, the Archives Portal, and the NYPL Digital Collections.
NYPL Special Collections has created a temporary free scanning service for archival materials. To learn more about this service, please schedule a research consultation. After the research consultation the reference librarian will send you our scan request form for the current month.
Below are some tips for preparing a scan request from the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division of the Schomburg Center:
If you are seeking permission to publish images, please contact our division and the NYPL Permission Department at permissions@nypl.org.
Additional information on Document Delivery, High Quality Reproductions, and NYPL Fee-Based Services can be discovered through NYPL Research Services.
To request an in-person research appointment, please create a Special Collections Account, then follow these steps:
Read through the finding aid to decide which parts of the collection will be the most helpful when searching for information on your research topic.
Select which boxes you are interested in using based on the information in the container list.
When you have decided, go back to the top of the finding aid and click the hyperlinked text : "Request an in-person research appointment."
This will bring you to the checkbox form where you will check off each box you would like to see in the collection.
Each researcher may request up to 6 boxes each day of their research visit.
Researchers can use one box, and one folder at a time to ensure materials remain in order.
Send us an email with any questions about policy, materials, hours, or research questions.
Schedule a virtual research consultation to talk with the reference librarian about your project.