Access to Offsite Collections

In order to provide space for growing collections, the NYPL research centers house lesser-used materials at several offsite facilities. A courier service delivers material to each research center before opening Monday - Saturday. Electronic document delivery of up to 50 pages is also available.

Identifying offsite collections:

Material is identified in the catalog by the location "Offsite."

Requesting material:

You may request up to 15 items per day. Many items can be delivered to reading rooms at any NYPL research center, though some materials are restricted to specific locations.

You may place a request using the “Request from Offsite Storage” form, which appears in the item’s catalog record. The online request form is currently only accessible through item records in the Classic Catalog, but will be added to the BiblioCommons Catalog in the near future.

Classic Catalog

Patrons new to the library and/or out of the NYC metro area are welcome to register for a new library card online and immediately thereafter begin placing requests with a temporary barcode and new PIN. Although you don't need a library card to make an offsite request, you will need to show your card when you come to the library to use materials. For more information about applying for or replacing a library card, please consult NYPL's library card information page.

Apply for a Library Card

You may also place requests by filling out a call slip at the reference desk. Please ask a librarian for assistance.

Staff-mediated requests may still be necessary for unique materials, which require the coordination of delivery and scheduling a session to use the item with library equipment. If the "Request from Offsite Storage" form does not appear in a catalog record but the material is identfied as "Offsite," please call or email the appropriate location for assistance submitting your request.

Electronic delivery:

A table of contents, single article, book chapter or index of up to 50 pages can be delivered electronically to your email address. The document will be scanned and either emailed as an attachment or posted online. If the file is posted online, you will receive an email message with the URL and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access the file. The item will remain online for two weeks. If your request cannot be filled electronically, the item will be delivered to the reading room where you placed the request, and it will be held on reserve for you for 7 days.

Delivery schedule:

Offsite deliveries have recently been expanded to Monday through Saturday. During the week, items will usually be delivered the next business day if the request is placed before 2:30 p.m. Items requested after 2:30 p.m. will be delivered on the second business day. Items requested after 2:30 p.m. on Fridays or over the weekend will be delivered the following Tuesday. 

If contact information was given at the time of request, you will receive an email or telephone notification when your item has been delivered and is available for use. If the anticipated arrival date has passed without a delivery confirmation, you may call/e-mail the appropriate building to inquire about the status of your request.

All materials will be held on reserve for 14 days once they are received.