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Each of the Metropolitan Museum's libraries and study centers has a distinctive collection and character, and all serve the research needs and educational mission of the Museum. All users must check bags, coats, briefcases, and packages in the Great Hall or at the 81st
Street entrance (see Visitor Tips for more information about the Museum's luggage and coat check policy) and must comply with the individual library's or
study center's access policies and registration procedures. Some
libraries and study centers close for all or part of the month of
August and for various staff holidays. Please call ahead to confirm
hours.
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Thomas J. Watson Library is the research library of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its noncirculating collection of books and periodicals relating to the history of art is one of the most comprehensive in the world. The scope of the library reflects the Museum's permanent collection, with particularly strong holdings in European and American art—including architecture and the decorative arts—as well as substantial holdings in Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Asian, and Islamic art.
The library contains approximately 600,000 volumes (books, periodicals, exhibition catalogues, and auction and sale catalogues); 2,500 current serial subscriptions; collections of autograph letters; and extensive ephemera files relating to individual artists and to the history of the Metropolitan Museum. WATSONLINE, the Museum libraries' online catalogue, provides access to the records of Watson Library's holdings, including periodicals, a substantial portion of the library's thousands of auction/sales catalogues, and records for partial holdings of other libraries in the Museum.
Watson Library is a closed-stack (non-browsing) and noncirculating collection. Requested books are paged for visitors and may be used in the library. Materials do circulate to Museum research staff and may be unavailable. In these cases, library staff will assist in identifying other library locations. Basic computer skills are necessary for using WATSONLINE (the online catalogue) and other electronic resources.
Guidelines for Admission
The Thomas J. Watson Library's primary mission is to serve the Museum's staff. It also serves an international community of scholars.
Watson Library welcomes visiting researchers who are college-level or older.
All visiting researchers must register and must show photo I.D. to receive a Reader's Card.
All bags larger than 9 x 12 x 3 in., laptop cases, and coats must be checked at the Coat Check before coming to the library.
If you have questions about using the Watson Library or library services, please call Reader Services at 212-570-3739 or 212-650-2344 during business hours.
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; paging until 4:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Telephone: 212-650-2225 (Reference Desk)
Email: watson.library@metmuseum.org
Fax: 212-570-3847
The library is closed to outside researchers on national holidays, Election Day, and the day after Thanksgiving. The library may close early on the days preceding national holidays. Call 212-650-2225 to verify hours.
The Central Catalog, which is administered by Watson Library,
maintains the object records for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection
(with the exception of The Robert Lehman Collection, prints from the Department of Drawings and Prints, the Department of Photographs, and objects on loan to the Museum). Requests for information about Egyptian objects and objects from the Costume Institute must be directed to the appropriate department. The contributing Museum departments provide object records with some or all of the following information: object description, exhibitions in which the object has appeared since acquisition by the Museum, curatorial notes, bibliographic references, and locations in previous collections.
The Museum does not guarantee that object information or bibliographies obtained from the Central Catalog files are up to date or complete.
Information in the Central Catalog is available by email and telephone. To request information about a Museum object, please email or telephone your request, including the accession number and name/maker of the object, your name, and contact information. The requested information will be scanned and emailed to you. It can also be photocopied and sent by U. S. mail or held in Watson Library for you to pick up. Scanned or photocopied material will be available to you within one week of your request. If you are researching a large number of objects, you may make an appointment to visit the Central Catalog.
Telephone: 212-650-2312
Email: central.catalog@metmuseum.org
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Lita Annenberg Hazen and Joseph H. Hazen
Center for Electronic Information Resources
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The Lita Annenberg Hazen and Joseph H.
Hazen Center for Electronic Information Resources, located in and part of Thomas J. Watson Library, provides access to an extensive collection of databases, CD-ROMs, online journals, and indexed online resources for the history of art, as well as training and support in their use. The center serves the research needs of Museum staff and other qualified Watson Library users (see above for the Watson Library's Guidelines for Admission). The Hazen Center's staff also maintains an index of useful art-related links through the social bookmarking tool Delicious. See Online Resources for more information.
Consult the Hazen Center's policies for independent research and instruction. Get more information about instruction offered in the Hazen Center.
View a list of electronic resources available in the Hazen Center.
Get more information about the Hazen Center's mission from the inaugural press release.
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Telephone: 212-650-2225
Fax: 212-570-3847
Email: hazen.center@metmuseum.org
The Hazen Center is closed to outside researchers on national holidays, Election Day, and the day after Thanksgiving. The Hazen Center may close early on the days preceding national holidays. Call 212-650-2225 to verify hours.
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Nolen Library in the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education |
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Nolen Library is the only library in the Museum that is open to the public and welcomes readers of all ages to consult a wide range of noncirculating materials about the Museum's current exhibitions, permanent collection, and general art history. With a core book collection of some eight thousand volumes, it provides valuable access to the Museum's library resources for teachers, students, and all Museum visitors. The Library's holdings are catalogued in WATSONLINE, the Museum's Libraries online catalogue. Self-service black and white copiers are available; printing costs $.35 per page.
Children's Reading Room
The Children's Reading Room, a special area of the library set aside for families, includes a place to read together and to use computers that provide basic orientation to the Museum. The book collection has picture books and books for young readers and includes all those books that have won the prestigious Caldecott Medal.
Information packets about From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg are available upon request. Email the librarians at education@metmuseum.org and include your postal address in your request.
Teacher Resource Center
The Teacher Resource Center within Nolen Library houses a wide variety of materials to assist teachers, curriculum designers, and other education specialists in planning class visits and in incorporating art and art history into their curriculum. Holdings include:
- Titles on theory, methodology, and the history of art education
- Videos and teacher resource kits with slides and/or CD-ROMs that circulate free of charge to registered teachers, community group leaders, and others for educational use
- Curriculum planning guides
- Interdisciplinary lesson plans for integrating art and art history into the classroom
Many publications for educators may also be downloaded. Some educational materials may be purchased in The Met Store.
Borrowing Policy for the Teacher Resource Center
In order to borrow these circulating materials, the school or community group representatives must register in person with the Library by presenting proof of eligibility in the form of a faculty I.D. or letter on letterhead stationery from a supervisor, as well as a second form of I.D. (preferably a photo I.D.). All materials must be picked up and returned in person. However, a teacher from outside the metropolitan area who has a confirmed school group visit may make arrangements for materials to be mailed. The materials can be returned on the day of the visit.
A list of the circulating collection and the guidelines for borrowing is available on request. Please email your name and mailing address to education@metmuseum.org.
Reference Questions
Members of the Library staff provide general information about the Metropolitan's
collection, the artists represented in the Museum, and, if appropriate, bibliographic references. Send your mailing address along with your inquiry to education@metmuseum.org.
Hours for Nolen Library and the Teacher Resource Center
September through May: Tuesday–Thursday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed Monday.
June and July: Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed Monday.
August: Tuesday–Saturday 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Additional closings for 2009: New Year's day (January 1); Lincoln's birthday (February 12); Easter weekend (April 11–12); Memorial Day weekend (May 23–24); July 4th weekend (July 4–5); Labor Day weekend (September 5–6); Election Day (November 3); Veterans Day (November 11); Thanksgiving weekend (November 26–29); Christmas weekend (December 25–27); New Year's weekend (January 1–3, 2010).
Telephone: 212-570-3788
Email: education@metmuseum.org
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The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art |
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The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art makes available for inspection those American fine art and decorative art objects that are not currently on view in the Museum galleries and period rooms or on loan to other institutions. The combination of works of art and research facilities makes the Luce Center a focal point for educational programs in The American Wing, home of the Departments of American Paintings and Sculpture and American Decorative Arts.
Objects in the Luce Center are arranged by material (oil paintings, sculpture, furniture and woodwork, glass, ceramics, and metalwork) and within these categories are organized by form and chronology. With the exception of those objects particularly sensitive to light (such as works on paper and textiles), most of the reserve items are on constant view.
As the labeling is minimal for individual items on view, visitors are encouraged to use the computerized catalogue of the collection, which includes information on all objects in the Departments of American Paintings and Sculpture and American Decorative Arts (not just those on view in the Luce Center).
The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art is made possible by the Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. Generous support was also provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Additional grants were received from the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts.
The Luce Center is open to all visitors during the Museum's public hours.
Hours: Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m.–8:45 p.m.; Sunday and Tuesday–Thursday 9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m.
Telephone: 212-570-3903
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The Robert Goldwater Library
Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas |
The Robert Goldwater Library is dedicated to the documentation of the arts of Africa, the Pacific Islands, and native and pre-Columbian America. The library contains more than 30,000 volumes and 150 current periodical subscriptions.
The Robert Goldwater Library is open to qualified researchers.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
(closed in August)
Telephone: 212-570-3707
Fax: 212-570-3879
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The Photograph Study Collection
Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas |
The Photograph Study Collection is part of the Museum's Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. It seeks to promote research and understanding of traditional arts and cultures, as well as their representation and reception through photography. The Collection contains more than 120,000 images in a wide variety of photographic formats, ranging from nineteenth-century paper negatives to twenty-first century digital images. Learn more about The Photograph Study Collection.
The Photograph Study Collection is open to the public. Advance appointments are needed to view fragile materials and special collections.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
(closed in August)
Telephone: 212-650-2823
Fax: 212-396-5039
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The Cloisters Library and Archives
The Cloisters Museum & Gardens |
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The Cloisters Library and Archives contain materials specifically for the study of medieval art and related topics. The library's collection of approximately 13,000 volumes encompasses medieval architecture, tapestries, painting, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, sculpture, ivories, and metalwork. Works on medieval history and the medieval garden are also collected. The archives contain material relating to the history of The Cloisters, as well as the papers of Sumner McKnight Crosby (1909–1982; medieval art historian, Yale University), the papers of Harry Bober (1915–1988; medieval art historian, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University), and other research collections.
The Cloisters, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art of medieval Europe, is located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan. See The Cloisters Museum & Gardens: General Information for directions. Its library is open to qualified researchers by appointment only, and access to the archives is granted only after a letter is received stating specific research needs and only for students at the graduate level and above.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 212-396-5319
Fax: 212-795-3640
Email: cloisters.library@metmuseum.org
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The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library
The Costume Institute |
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The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library is one of the world's foremost fashion libraries. Its collection includes approximately thirty thousand noncirculating monographs, rare books, and periodicals, as well as design archives, sketchbooks, photographs, drawings, prints, and extensive files of clippings pertaining to the history and study of the arts of adornment throughout the world. The library maintains fifty current fashion periodical subscriptions, including a wide range of international magazines and scholarly journals.
The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library is open to researchers by appointment only. Before making an appointment, visitors are encouraged to search the holdings of The Costume Institute's Library in WATSONLINE, the Museum libraries' online catalogue. Titles listed as being either in the Thomas J. Watson Library or offsite should be used in Watson Library. Titles that are offsite require forty-eight hours' notice for retrieval.
Hours: By appointment only, Tuesday and Wednesday 1:00–4:00 p.m.
Email: julie.le@metmuseum.org
Telephone: 212-650-2723
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Study Rooms for Drawings and Prints
Department of Drawings and Prints |
The Metropolitan Museum has more than four thousand master drawings, more than ten thousand architectural and ornamental drawings, more than one million prints by virtually every master printmaker who has ever practiced, and extensive holdings of illustrated books and printed ephemera. Most of these works can be pulled from storage for examination by qualified researchers in the study rooms.
The study rooms also contain an extensive reference library of books on the history of prints and drawings. Partial holdings of this reference collection appear in WATSONLINE, the Museum libraries' online catalogue.
The Study Rooms for Drawings and Prints are accessible to qualified visitors by appointment and with proper identification.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; 2:00–4:45 p.m.
Telephone:
212-570-3920 (prints); 212-570-3912
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The Robert Lehman Collection Library
The Robert Lehman Collection |
The library of the Robert Lehman Collection contains approximately twenty-three thousand books, with an emphasis on the arts of the Italian Renaissance; the history and culture of Siena, Italy; the history of frames; and illuminated manuscripts.
The Robert Lehman Collection Library is open to qualified researchers by appointment.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday, hours variable
Telephone: 212-650-2340 (library); 212-570-3915 (office)
Email: lehman.library@metmuseum.org |
Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library
Department of Photographs |
The Joyce F. Menschel Library contains more than six thousand volumes relating to the history of photography and the Museum's collection of photographs. Located in the curatorial Department of Photographs, the library primarily serves the Museum's staff, but its collection is also accessible to outside researchers by appointment.
Before making an appointment, visitors are encouraged to consult the holdings of the Menschel Library in WATSONLINE, the Museum libraries' online catalogue.
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m.–noon
Telephone:
212-570-3889 |
Study Room for Photographs
Department of Photographs |
The Museum's collection contains approximately fifteen thousand photographs spanning the entire history of the medium, including four hundred photographically illustrated books and albums. Almost all of these are eligible for firsthand inspection in the study room.
The Study Room for Photographs is accessible to qualified researchers by appointment and with proper identification.
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m.–noon
Telephone:
212-570-3889 |
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Antonio Ratti Textile Center and Reference Library |
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One of the largest, most technically advanced facilities for the study, storage, and conservation of textiles in any major art museum, the Antonio Ratti Textile Center reflects the Metropolitan's long-standing commitment to collecting textiles, beginning with its first textile acquisition in 1879. The collection is now remarkably diverse, with more than thirty-six thousand objects dating from 3000 B.C. to the present. Formerly dispersed among the various curatorial departments according to the cultures that produced them, most of the Museum's textile holdings are now gathered in the Ratti Center under the controlled environmental conditions necessary for their long-term preservation.
Objects from the collection are featured, on a rotating basis, in a small gallery at the entrance to the center; others can be examined in the center's study rooms with advance appointments (size or extreme fragility may make it impossible to view certain textiles). Computer terminals in the center provide access to digital images and descriptive information about the Museum's textiles, maximizing the information available to scholars and the public while minimizing the textiles' exposure to light, dust, and handling. (You may also see the Collection Database to view highlights from the department.)
The center's reference library contains approximately thirty-four hundred books and journals devoted to the historical, technical, and cultural study of textiles. The library is open to the public without an appointment, but use of the database system must be scheduled in advance. Most of the library's holdings appear in WATSONLINE, the Museum libraries' online catalogue.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (database and library); Tuesday–Friday 2:00–4:00 p.m. (study rooms)
Telephone: 212-650-2310
Fax:
212-650-2676
Email: RattiTextile.Center@metmuseum.org |
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The objective of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives is to collect, organize, and preserve in perpetuity the corporate records and official correspondence of the Museum, to make the collection accessible and provide research support, and to further an informed and enduring understanding of the Museum's history. Archives holdings include Board of Trustees records, legal documents, Museum publications, office files of selected Museum staff, architectural drawings, press clippings, and ephemera.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives is accessible to Museum staff and to qualified scholarly researchers at the graduate level and above. Requests for access should be sent via email and should include a brief summary of the research project, an outline of sources already consulted, and a curriculum vitae or résumé. Access is granted at the discretion of Archives staff and certain materials may be restricted.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday by appointment
Telephone: 212-570-3937
Email: archives@metmuseum.org |
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