Humanities and Social Sciences Library > History

History of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library

• Introduction
• History
• Construction Photographs

Introduction

Central building, exterior views, Fifth Avenue: Fifth Avenue and
42nd Street, from above street, looking s.w., building still under
construction, line of carriages and cars in foreground.
Digital Image ID: 465468

Often referred to as the "main branch," the magnificent Beaux-Arts landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street is not a branch with circulating collections at all, but rather houses The Research Libraries' Humanities and Social Sciences Library. Here are the Library's rich and diverse collections in the humanities, social sciences, and special collections. These non-circulating graduate-level collections were initially formed from the consolidation of the Astor and Lenox Libraries, and have evolved into one of the world's preeminent public resources for the study of human thought, action, and experience -- from anthropology and archaeology, to religion, sports, world history, and literature.

The Humanities and Social Sciences Library is renowned for the extraordinary comprehensiveness of its collections as well as its commitment to providing free and equal access to its resources and facilities. It houses some 15 million items, among them priceless medieval manuscripts, ancient Japanese scrolls, contemporary novels and poetry, as well as baseball cards, dime novels, and comic books.

The Humanities and Social Sciences Library is part of The New York Public Library, which consists of four major research libraries and 87 branch libraries located in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.