Reference Collections and Reading Rooms

Home to approximately 4 million items, the General Research Division serves as the central research hub in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Our staff of librarians is on hand to help you with research questions, navigate the Catalog, use our abundant electronic databases, make referrals to other NYPL divisions or local libraries, and teach about the history of this landmark building.

The Art and Architecture Collection is the primary access point for readers and researchers using the Research Libraries’ materials which relate to the fine arts, decoration, art history, architectural history, design and theory. Contact us with your research questions at artref@nypl.org! In addition, you can follow us on Facebook, Flickr and Tumblr.

The Dorot Jewish Division is responsible for administering, developing and promoting one of the world’s great collections of Hebraica and Judaica. Reference and research services are available in a dedicated Jewish studies reading room on the first floor of the Library’s landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

The DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room 108 services current unbound issues of 68 popular periodical titles and 22 domestic and foreign newspapers. For a full list of the popular titles in Room 108, see here. 

The majority of the current periodicals collection is available in Room 100, the Microforms Reading Room. 

The Periodicals Room is Wi-Fi enabled.

The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division is one of the world’s premier map collections in terms of size, scope, unique holdings, diversity and intensity of use. Established in 1898, our holdings include more than 433,000 sheet maps and 20,000 books and atlases published between the 15th and 21st centuries. The collections range from the global to the local scale and support the learning and research needs of a wide variety of users.

The Microforms Section, Room 100 provides access to over 350,000 microfilm reels and 3,000,000 microfiche resources in the humanities and social sciences. Types of materials include microfilm copy of 12,000 periodical backfiles, collections of antiquarian monographs, historical pamphlets, incunabula, and many unique archives of diverse national and international organizations.

Current issues of approximately 11,000 unbound periodical titles in 22 languages from 128 countries are also accessible in Room 100. The Microform Reading Room is Wi-Fi enabled.

The Milstein Division collects materials documenting American History on the national, state and local level, Genealogy, Heraldry, Personal and Family Names, and Flags.  Its holdings and research services are used each year by thousands of scholars, students, family historians, city planners, television and film producers, novelists and playwrights, visual artists and anyone interested in history.  Learn more about our world-class collections, and follow the activities of the Division through our blog, flickr twitter and facebook pages.

The Milstein Division bears