Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture > Collections > Jean Blackwell Hutson General Research and Reference Division

Special Features


Collection Presentations Information

Information contained in flyers, newspaper and magazine clippings, pamphlets and ephemera is available in the Center's Vertical File, a reference tool with nearly 7,000 subject headings. Items through 1988 are on microfiche.

One of the Schomburg Center's most unique finding aids is the Ernest D. Kaiser Index to Black Resources, a file of nearly 200,000 citations to articles in thousands of issues of Black magazines and newspapers, some of which ceased publication decades ago. On-site access to the Kaiser Index is offered through the Schomburg Center's list of online databases and indexes.

The Jean Black Hutson General Research and Reference Division develops and maintains a variety of subject bibliographies.

Photocopies of many of the materials in the Jean Blackwell Hutson General Research and Reference Division are accessible in person or by mail.

Call Ahead Service

You can have items from the Jean Blackwell Hutson General Research and Reference Division closed stacks or offsite materials from the collections of the Humanities & Social Sciences Library and the Science, Industry & Business Library waiting for you when you arrive.    Just phone or e-mail your requests.  Exact call numbers are required.
Contact us: Jean Blackwell Hutson General Research and Reference Division
(212) 491-2242 or 491-2218 callaheadgenref@nypl.org
Please give us the following information:

  • To request periodicals:       Exact call #; Title, Volume number and/or date
  • To request books:              Exact call #, Author’s name (first and last); Title
  • Your contact information:    E-mail address and telephone number(s)

Please note:

  • You are limited to 3 items per day.
  • At least 24-hour advance notice is required for on-site materials. Earlier notice is appreciated.
  • Offsite materials may require two business days.  For example: a request placed on Tuesday should be available on Thursday; requests placed Thursday afternoons through Saturday will be filled on the following Tuesday.
  • Some materials may not be available. When this occurs, we will make every effort to notify you ahead of time. Please verify that your materials are ready.
  • Material not called for within 3 business days after you are notified will be returned to the stacks.

Exceptions:

  • Materials held in the special collections divisions may not be requested in advance
  • Newspapers, unbound periodicals, maps, materials in microform and books from our open shelf reference collection may not be requested in advance.