Special Collections

Humanities and Social Sciences Library: A card of admission is required for consultation of items in the Rare Books Division, Manuscripts and Archives Division; Arents Collection, Berg Collection, Pforzheimer Collection, Print Collection, Photography Collection, and Spencer Collection.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts:

Readers may consult most materials in the Research Collections Reading Room, but rare and fragile materials must be used in a staff-supervised reading area, the Katharine Cornell-Guthrie McClintic Reading Room. When necessary, readers are referred to this room.

The Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT), housed in the Lucille Lortel Room, adjacent to the Research Collections Reading Room, is restricted for use by theatre professionals, students, and researchers with a work- or study-related reason to view. Advance appointments for viewings are required and may be scheduled by telephoning 212-870-1642.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Registration is required for consultation of items in the Art and Artifacts Division, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division and the Photograph and Prints Division. Appointments are necessary to use materials in the Art and Artifacts Division and the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division.

Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL): The rare book collections at SIBL contain several thousand rare science and engineering titles and include the donated collection of William Barclay Parsons. The Parsons collection consists of rare titles in the fields of engineering, transportation and military science dating from the 15th century to the 20th century. The Henry George collection consists of scrap books documenting the career of Henry George,the 19th century politician and economist, and first editions of his works. All of the rare collections at SIBL are available on site for reading under supervision.