515 Malcolm X Boulevard (135th St and Malcolm X Blvd)
New York, NY 10037
917-275-6975
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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.
2023 Holiday Closings
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Visit the Schomburg Center

The front doors of the Schomburg Center. The words “Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture'' is written as a metal awning above the front doors.

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.

Our Art & Artifacts and Moving Image and Recorded Sound divisions will be closed through Monday, October 2. The Photographs and Prints Division will be closed on Saturday, September 30. We apologize for any inconvenience.

To learn about the Center's research divisions, schedule an appointment, or find out about other services, see our resources for researchers. Please note: Division hours may vary.

The Schomburg Shop sells clothing, jewelry, books, and more for all ages. Items are created by Black and Brown artists. The Shop is open Tuesday to Saturday 11 AM—6 PM.

Though there are no guided tours at this time, we are working diligently to restore this key service to visitors in spring 2024. Please continue to check this page and the Schomburg Tours page for updates and more information.

Please note: Due to new Library policy, e-bikes, e-scooters, and electronic transportation devices are not permitted inside any NYPL location. This does not apply to mobility aids.

Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month | Examine Puerto Rico’s History from Spanish Colony to US Territory

A document showing a person was enslaved to another person

Digital Collections Image 5224146

This year marks the 150th anniversary since the Spanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico in 1873. At the time, enslaved people were required to work an additional three years and owners of enslaved people received financial compensation.

Through our collections, examine the island's history as a colony of Spain and later as a U.S. territory following the Spanish-American War. Plus, discover the role our founder Arturo Schomburg, who was of African and Puerto Rican descent, played in the island's liberation from Spain and his advocacy for the equal treatment of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican people by the U.S. federal government in the early 1900s. Read more

Fall 2023 Exhibitions & Programs

Against a yellow/gold background, the words Fall 2023, Exhibitions and Programs.

Exhibitions:
Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration | Schomburg Center | Through Dec 4
Michael Cummings & A Bygone Era of Art | Online
Watercolors Amongst Friends | Online

Public Programs Schedule:
Fall 2023

Apply to our Scholars-in-Residence Program | Deadline Dec. 1

A woman is sitting at a table looking at photographs. She is writing notes on a piece of paper.

Photo: Lisa Herndon

Are you a postdoctoral scholar, independent researcher, or creative writer who is interested in studying at the Schomburg Center? Apply to our Scholars-in-Residence Program.

It offers long and short-term fellowships designed to support and encourage research and writing on the history, politics, literature, and culture of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora. Fellows receive a stipend, research support, and more.

The deadline to apply is Friday, December 1, 2023. Read more

In the Spotlight

  • Get Your Special-Edition Hip-Hop Library Card

    The New York Public Library created a special-edition library card commemorating 50 years of hip-hop! The card features imagery from the soundtrack cassette of the iconic 1983 film Wild Style, directed by Charlie Ahearn, widely considered to be the first film dedicated to hip-hop. Our Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division holds the original cassette in its collections. Apply online or at a branch, and pick up your hip-hop library card from an NYPL location near you!

    The front and back of a library card. The front has the words Wild Style in graffiti style lettering. The back is the picture of a cassette with the words 50 Years of Hip Hop

  • Explore Past Schomburg Center Exhibitions and Multimedia Projects

    If you missed past in person exhibitions such as Beloved: African American Portraits from the Dawn of Photography and Been Seen, you can see them online. Plus, view past multimedia projects produced by students in our Junior Scholars Program.

    A banner is hanging on a fence.

  • Space Rentals

    Hosting an event? Consider our Langton Hughes Auditorium, Langston Hughes Lobby, American Negro Theatre, or Schomburg Courtyard. Learn more about these spaces.

    Circle-shaped tables covered with blue tablecloths and chairs are arranged in the Langston Hughes Lobby. Along the left side is a rectuangular shaped table that has glasses on top. It is covered with a blue table cloth.

  • Get Updates from the Schomburg Center

    Sign up for our bi-monthly e-newsletter, Schomburg Connection. Get updates and information on our upcoming programs, exhibitions, research guides, blogs, and more!

    Schomburg Center logo

Featured at the Schomburg Center

  • Visit the Schomburg Shop

    The Schomburg Shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 AM to 6 PM for in-person shopping. Or, you can shop online.

    Interior photo of Schomburg Shop. Has high and low shelves with books.

  • From Our Blog

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

    : A black and white illustration of a female of color wearing a white cocktail dress with a black flower at her hip and a hoop earring posed against the railing of a balcony. The words “Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life is at the top of the image. The words “July 1926” are on the left side.

  • Public Programs

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

    Two women are seated in chairs on stage at the Schomburg Center. Both have one arm raised in air, looking like they are in agreement.

  • 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 male sitting in profile reading a newspaper

Current Exhibitions

  • Michael Cummings & A Bygone Era in Art

    Ongoing
    Online Only
    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

    Beginning in the 1970s, American artist and quiltmaker Michael A. Cummings began collecting Black art event ephemera. Recently…

  • Watercolors Amongst Friends

    Ongoing
    Online Only
    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

    Letters between Arturo Schomburg and illustrator, Albert Alexander Smith from the 1930s discuss the acquisition of these newly digitized…

  • Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration

    Through December 4, 2023
    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

    Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration explores the impact of the US prison system on contemporary visual art.…

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.

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