The Library's Special Collections consist of archival material relating to the history of the Museum, its scientists and staff, scientific expeditions and research, Museum exhibitions, education, and general administrative history. These archives also include personal papers and manuscript collections of individuals closely associated with the Museum and/or the history of natural science.  In addition to the textual materials, there is a large Photographic Collection consisting of over one million images; a Moving Image Collection that includes 291 cataloged titles and thousands of other films and video tapes, including viewing copies of some of the entries to the the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival; in addition Special Collections contains the Art and Memorabilia Collections. For information about the Library's Rare Book and Rare Folio collection, please see our Rare Book Collection page.

Archives in Museum Scientific Departments

Please note that some of the Museum’s Scientific Departments maintain their own archives. These collections include materials such as field notebooks, personal papers, and departmental records. To inquire about conducting research in Museum Scientific Departmental archives, contact the specific department. Go to http://research.amnh.org for links to each department's site and contact information.  The Division of Anthropology also has over 175,000 ethnological objects from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Americas that have been digitally imaged and are accessible through their Collections Database.  The Division of Anthropology also houses approximately 670 linear feet of archival material, dating from the 1890's to the present.

Artifact or Specimen Collections

Visit the websites for the Museum's Research Departments if you need to conduct research within the Museum artifact or specimen collections. Please note that the Scientific Staff are not generally available to answer questions or identify artifacts of any kind, except during the Museum's annual "Identification Day." Please check our program listings for more details on the next Identification Day.

Inquiries and Access Policies

Please refer to our Researching Special Collections page for detail about Inquiries and Access Policies.

Reproduction and Digitization Services

Please refer to our Reproduction & Digitization Services page for details about services we provide and associated fees.

Permission and Licensing Services

Please refer to our Permission & Licensing Services page for details about services we provide and associated fees.