Tips for visiting the Museum during Thanksgiving Week.
No, members of the Museum community and public visitors are encouraged to visit our Reading Room and use our space for independent study without an appointment.
Refer to our How to Search instructions to begin your research. If you still need help finding what you are looking for, please contact us:
Reference / General Inquiries: [email protected]
Museum Archives: [email protected]
Interlibrary Loan: [email protected]
Virtual Resources: [email protected]
Reference Desk: 212-769-5400
Yes, to make an appointment to view an item from the main stacks, please Request Materials for On-site Use. To make an appointment to view a rare book, please submit the Rare Book Collection Access Form. To make an appointment to view archives, please Request Access to the Museum Archives.
Museum staff and Museum students with a valid Museum-issued identification badge may register for library privileges to borrow materials from the Gottesman Research Library. Please note that our stacks are currently closed pending completion of construction. Materials in the main stacks may be requested via our Paging Request Form.
Access to material in the Rare Book Collection and the Museum Archives is by special appointment only. Please visit Rare Book Collection or Museum Archives for further information and instructions on how to make an appointment for these collections.
On weekdays, beginning at 10:30 am. The David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Research Library and Learning Center is open Monday through Friday, from 10:30 am-5:30 pm. The Library is not open on weekends.
Please note we will be closed on the following holidays in 2023:
You may search the Science Department Catalogs for specimens and artifacts in the Scientific Collections:
Anthropology Collections Database
Vertebrate Zoology Collections Database
Invertebrate Zoology Collections Database
Paleontology Collections Database
Earth and Planetary Sciences Collections
Current and recent back issues of the print editions of Novitates, Anthropological Papers, and Bulletin are available for purchase from the Museum Shop. Free electronic access to these titles is available via the Gottesman Research Library's Digital Repository.
Please see Scientific Publications Author Submissions for the submission policies, guidelines, style manual, and manuscript submission form.
The Library staff is not able to evaluate materials for the purpose of establishing their market value or value for tax purposes. For such information, you may wish to consult the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America.
The Museum's scientific staff are not available to authenticate or perform appraisals of any artifacts or specimens for the public. You may wish to contact the Appraisers Association of America to get more information on certain types of appraisals.
Learn about projects, resources, and perspectives from the Museum's librarians, archivists, interns, and volunteers.