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The Manuscripts and Special Collections unit was established within the State Library in 1881. Its responsibilities include the acquisition, access and preservation of the Library's collections of archives and manuscripts, rare books, maps and atlases, prints and photographs, broadsides and posters, musical scores and ephemera. These collections document the history of New York State from the 17th century to the present and illustrate the history of many topics related to American history, literature, science and the arts.
For additional information about each collection, see:
For a look at how a collection is processed, please see the Fred Abele Transportation History Collection. This section uses the Transportation History Collection to illustrate the steps in processing a collection, as well as highlighting selected items from this collection.
The research room for Manuscripts and Special Collections, which is shared with the New York State Archives and Records Administration, is open for research Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Library and the Archives are both closed for New York State legal holidays.
Material is retrieved for research at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily. Some collections, however, are stored off-site and may require several business days to retrieve. Arrangements should be made prior to visiting the Library. Contact Manuscripts and Special Collections at:
For more information about accessing the collections, see Manuscripts and Special Collections: Policies.