Introduction to the Collections

The New York Public Library has a wide range of materials available for sociological research, including books, journals, indexes, and databases. The Humanities & Social Sciences Library's General Research Division, accessible in room 315 and the Rose Main Reading Room, is primarily responsible for sociology materials and collects extensively in sociology, social history, and social problems.

These materials have been a priority for NYPL since its early years. Additionally, the library's collections focus on many specific topics studied within sociology, such as child abuse and child welfare, civil rights, homelessness, minorities, and popular culture, among others. Recommended searching skills for locating these materials in CATNYP, the online catalog of The New York Public Library’s four Research Libraries, are listed in the Using the Library’s Catalogs section.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of sociological research, it is important to consult the resources for other fields, such as psychology, anthropology, political science, and statistics. The Humanities and Social Sciences Library is only one of the four Research Libraries of The New York Public Library. Researchers in sociology, depending on their research topic, may need to consult one of the other centers, which are the Science, Industry, and Business Library, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Library for the Performing Arts. The collections of these other centers are included in CATNYP.

If you need further assistance, visit our reference desk, or e-mail us at grdref@nypl.org