Archival Materials

Several divisions in the Library hold archival collections – the papers of individuals and families, the records of organizations, and consciously assembled collections of unique and unpublished material. Archival collections contain a wide variety of primary source material, not only paper documents – such as correspondence, manuscripts, and diaries – but also photographs, sound recordings, films, videotapes, artifacts, and electronic records.

Archival collections can range in size from a single document to hundreds of boxes and are described by catalog records, which provide a summary description of an entire collection, and more detailed guides, called finding aids.

There is no single place to find archival and manuscript material in the Research Libraries. To insure that you discover all possible sources for your research, follow these three steps:

1. Search the Find Archival Materials Tool

2. Search the catalog and limit your search to Archival and Manuscript material to find collections and to search specific fields (e.g., author or subject) in the available catalog records for archival material.

3. Visit the individual pages (listed below) and contact the divisions holding archival material.
A significant amount of archival material held by The New York Public Library is not yet represented anywhere online. Library staff can help identify material germane to your research.

Divisions Holding Archives and Manuscripts

• Manuscripts and Archives Division
• Billy Rose Theatre Division
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division
• Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
• Jerome Robbins Dance Division
• Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature
• Music Division
• Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle
• Dorot Jewish Division