UPDATE: Research Services Suspended Beginning June 1; Resuming January 2009

On-site research appointments and in-depth mail, email and phone reference service are curtailed to accommodate the first phase of the Museum’s program to expand and modernize its landmark Fifth Avenue building.

 

During this period, the Museum’s print, drawing, photography and other paper-based collections are being relocated to a new, climate-controlled, state-of-the-art addition featuring improved research facilities; staff will not be able to respond to inquiries requiring access to specific works in these collections. The Museum’s Byron Collection continues to be available online. Other New York City images appear in the Museum’s online shop.  For some inquiries, staff may be able to conduct a limited search--if this is the case, staff will respond within two weeks.

Rights & Reproductions and Licensing
Reproduction from the Museum’s collections continues to be available. Please see Rights & Reproductions or call 212-534-1672 x 3378/3375 for more information.

Resumption of Research Services
Museum staff look forward to resuming research service beginning in November 2008.

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General Information

Conducting research at the Museum of the City of New York is centrally coordinated through the Department of Collections Access. Requests are fielded via phone, email, fax and mail.

Telephone: 212.534.1672 x 3399

Email: research@mcny.org

Fax: 212.534.5974

 

Mail: Department of Collections Access, Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10029

 

Queries are answered in the order in which they are received. It may take two weeks or more before you receive a response to your initial inquiry.

 

 

Once your inquiry has been received, Museum staff will review your request to determine what relevant material the collections hold. If it is substantial, staff may recommend that you schedule an on-site research appointment. If the material is very small, staff may make photocopies of the relevant items and mail them to you. If you are unable to visit the Museum, staff can conduct research on your behalf. If the research takes less than 30 minutes, there is no charge. If the search takes longer than 30 minutes, research fees of $25 per hour apply. Charges may be billed to your credit card.

 

Research appointments are generally available in the Prints, Drawings & Photographs Collection, the Manuscript Collection, and the Theater Collection. Access to the Museum’s collections of Costumes & Textiles, Decorative Arts, Paintings & Sculpture, and Toys is limited to graduate level study and scholarly research by advance appointment with the curatorial department directly. Research fees apply to all on-site research: $25 for each two and a half hour session; $10 for students and seniors, payable by check or credit card. If research fees are prohibitive, a fee waiver can be requested. Photocopies can be made during appointments and high quality reproductions are available through the Department of Rights & Reproductions. Research appointments tend to book quickly and it is recommended to schedule 2-3 weeks in advance of your planned visit.