515 Malcolm X Boulevard (135th St and Malcolm X Blvd)
New York, NY 10037
917-275-6975
Directions
Fully Accessible
Open today
10 AM–6 PM
Regular Hours
Day Hours
Monday 10 AM–6 PM
Tuesday 10 AM–6 PM
Wednesday 10 AM–6 PM
Thursday 10 AM–6 PM
Friday 10 AM–6 PM
Saturday 10 AM–6 PM
Sunday CLOSED
Division hours may vary.
2021 Holiday Closings
Give Now

Visit the Schomburg Center

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, one of The New York Public Library’s renowned research libraries, is a world-leading cultural institution devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.

To learn about the Schomburg Center’s research divisions and other services, explore our resources for researchers.

The Schomburg Center is now open for onsite visits to view exhibitions, visit Schomburg Shop, and for research. 

Our pop-up exhibition, Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem, begins Thursday, September 9 and runs through Thursday, September 16. The exhibition is part of our titular program, which will stream on our Livestream channel on Thursday, September 9 at 6:30 PM.

Plus, explore our exhibitions, Traveling While Black: A Century of Pleasure & Pain & Pilgrimage and Subversion & The Art of Slavery Abolition.

All are open to all Monday through Saturday, 10:30 AM until 5:30 PM. No reservation is needed.

We are not scheduling group tours at this time.

As we remain mindful of each other’s safety, all staff, visitors, and researchers must continue to wear face masks.

Game, Set, Match—and the Schomburg Center's Collections

There are 3 photos. Left: Book cover of Althea Gibson’s I Always Wanted to be Somebody. Center: A picture of Gibson dressed in a skirt and coat holding a bouquet of flowers and walking with 3 people. Left, book cover of Arthur Ashe’s Days of Grace: A Memoir

The 2021 U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam in the United States, takes place August 30 to September 12 in Queens, New York. It’s a terrific time to learn more about tennis legends Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Both are part of the tournament’s history. Both also have items in our collections. Learn more.  

Register For Our Pandemic Legacies Conference

Against a yellow-gray backgroud, the words Pandemic Legacies: Health, Healing, and Medicine in the Age of Slavery and Beyond. In the lower left corner is the Schomburg Ceneter logo in black. On the right, is the stem of a plant with a five leaves.

The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center is holding the virtual conference Pandemic Legacies: Health, Healing, and Medicine in the Age of Slavery and Beyond. From Wednesday, October 6 through Friday, October 8, join our conversations with noted scholars and authors. Learn more.

Apply to Our Scholars-in-Residence Program

A woman wearing a purple, black, and white face mask is sitting at a table and reading papers from the Schomburg Center’s collections.

Our Scholars-in-Residence program offers long-term and short-term fellowships to support educators and writers working on projects that would benefit from access to the Center's collections. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 1. Learn more. 

In the Spotlight

Featured at the Schomburg Center

  • Visit the Schomburg Shop

    The Schomburg Shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 AM to 5:30 PM for in-person shopping. Or, you can shop online.

    Image of a pink Schomburg tote bag.

  • From Our Blog

    Read blog posts from the librarians, staff, and fellows at the Schomburg Center.

    Detail from the front cover of Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, 1925

  • Public Programs

    The Schomburg Center advances knowledge of the global Black experience through dynamic programs and exhibitions.

    Two Black woman writers talk to each other.

  • Digital Schomburg

    Access exhibitions, podcasts, videos, books, images, and more about the global Black experience 24/7.

    Collage of photographs and artworks from the Schomburg Center's Digital Collections.

  • Support the Schomburg Center

    Schomburg Society members receive discounts, invitations to exclusive events, and more!

    Photograph of the Schomburg Center's exterior facade

  • In the News

    Read news stories featuring interviews with Schomburg Center curators, librarians, and staff.

    A man sitting at a table reading a book.

Current Exhibitions

  • Traveling While Black: A Century of Pleasure & Pain & Pilgrimage

    Ongoing
    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
    Since the start of their experience in the Americas, Black people have been defined by travel, displacement, and resistance. 

  • Subversion & The Art of Slavery Abolition

    Ongoing
    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
    This exhibition highlights several of the ways that abolitionists engaged with the arts to agitate for enslaved people’s liberty in the…

  • Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem

    Through September 16, 2021
    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
    Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem spotlights HIF’s fashion shows and celebrates the organization’s efforts to amplify the contributions of…

About the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Interior view of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. As a research division of The New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center features diverse programming and collections spanning over 11 million items that illuminate the richness of global Black history, arts, and culture.

Learn more about this location Learn about capital construction projects at this location