Access to Offsite Collections

Due to the size of the NYPL's collections, certain materials are stored offsite.

In order to provide space for growing collections, the NYPL Research Libraries are housing lesser-used materials at a shelving facility in Plainsboro, NJ, operated jointly with Columbia University and Princeton University. A courier service delivers material to the Research Libraries before opening time Monday - Friday.

Identifying offsite collections:

Material is identified in The Catalog by the location "Offsite".

Delivery schedule:

An item will be delivered the next business day (Tuesday - Friday) if the request is placed before 2:30 p.m.

Items requested after 2:30 p.m. will arrive two business days later. Items requested after 2:30 p.m. on Thursday will be available the following Monday.

Requesting material:

If an item you want is "Offsite," you can fill out a call slip and bring it to the service desk. Staff will place the request and tell you when you can expect the item to arrive. Please call (see phone numbers below) before returning to the Library to confirm that the item has been delivered. Many items can be delivered to any NYPL research center reading room, though some materials have restrictions on use.

You may phone or e-mail requests for closed stack and offsite materials at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and the Science, Industry & Business Library (some limitations apply). Exact call numbers are required. Contact the appropriate Library for more information:

Electronic delivery:

A single article or book chapter of up to 50 pages can be delivered electronically, if you have an e-mail address. The document will be scanned and posted on a website. You will be notified by e-mail when the item is available, and given a URL and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access it. The item will remain online for two weeks. You must have a complete citation for the pages you want, including start and end page numbers.  You can also speak to a staff member at a service desk.  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 one week for you.