The following Frequently Asked Questions have been compiled by the Museum Library. Questions about art research that are not included here can be directed to library@moma.org. See also Art Research FAQ, MoMA Research FAQ and DADABASE FAQ.

• Who may use the Libraries?
• Where are the Libraries? How do I get there?
• How do I know what's where?
• What are the Library hours?
• How do I make appointments?
• What do I do upon arrival?
• What's allowed in the reading rooms? What do I have to store in lockers and why?
• How do I request materials?
• Will you ship materials between Libraries?
• May I use both Libraries on the same day?

• How are the Library, Museum Archives, and Study Centers related?
• Is the Library catalogue on the Internet?
• What research databases are available at the libraries?
• Are items in the catalogue digitized?
• May I borrow from the Library?
• May I borrow through interlibrary loan?
• May I put materials on hold (on reserve)?
• May I photocopy Library materials?
• May I photograph Library materials?
• May I scan Library materials?
• Does the Library have audiovisual materials?
• Does the Library have slides I can borrow?
• Can I connect to the Internet with my laptop?

• Why can't I use sticky notes (like Post-It Notes) in the Library?
• How can I find out if the Library would add a book (or artist book, exhibition catalogue, exhibition announcement) to its collection?
• Does the Library have MoMA exhibition catalogues?
• What is the Franklin Furnace/Artist Book Collection?
• What is the Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) Archive?
• How can I access The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Archive?
• What is in an Artist File?
• What is in a Subject File?
• What is in an Archive Pamphlet File?
• Would you copy and send a file to me?
• Will the Library research a topic for me?

Q. Who may use the Libraries?
A. The Library is open by appointment to all researchers of the modern period. Elementary, secondary, and undergraduate students are advised to start their research at school and public libraries. To learn how to do basic art research, see Art Research FAQ.

Q. Where are the Libraries? How do I get there?
A. MoMA Library Manhattan is located in The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building at 4 West 54 St., part of the Museum complex in midtown Manhattan. Directions are available at Visiting the Museum.

MoMA Library QNS is located at 45-20 33 St. in Long Island City, Queens. For directions see How to Get There.

Q. How do I know what's where?

In brief, Manhattan (MHTN) has books published after 1939, most Special Collections, most MoMA publications, and some current periodical issues.

At QNS are books published before 1940, bound periodicals, the rest of the current periodical issues, small exhibition catalogs (AEC, GEC), Artist's Books, and most files. If in doubt, check DADABASE for MHTN or QNS locations.

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Q. What are the Library hours?

A. MoMA Library Manhattan, Wedesday, Thursday, & Friday, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
MoMA Library QNS, Monday & Tuesday, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Appointments are required.

See also How do I know what's where?

Please note: the Library is closed for the month of August 2007, reopening Tuesday, September 4, at Queens and Wednesday, September 5, at Manhattan. Advance appointments are welcome.

Q. How do I make appointments?
A. For appointments at either the Manhattan or QNS locations, e-mail, call (212) 708-9433, or fax (212) 333-1122. All appointments must be confirmed.

Please note: at MoMA Library Manhattan, an elevator pass is necessary. In exchange for a pass, researchers must leave a valid photo student or institutional ID. (Driver's licenses, credit cards, and passports are not accepted.)

Q. What do I do upon arrival?

A. MoMA Library Manhattan Enter on Fifty-fourth Street and check in with the receptionist. Check coats, bags and cases in the lockers provided. (Plastic bags are supplied to carry materials to and from the reading room.)

An elevator pass is necessary. In exchange for a pass, researchers must leave a valid ID—something you'll remember to pick up upon departure. (Credit cards and passports are not accepted.) Use the elevator pass to "swipe" to Floor 6. Check in with the librarian. Please silence cell phones.

MoMA Library QNS Enter MoMA QNS via the staff entrance and check in with security. Check coats, bags and cases in the lockers provided. Enter the Library from the lobby and check in with the librarian. Please silence cell phones.

Q. What's allowed in the reading rooms? What do I have to store in lockers and why?

A. For security and preservation purposes, only certain materials are permitted in the reading rooms. All other materials must be stored in the lockers provided. Please silence cell phones.
You may bring a laptop, notebooks, notes, paper, pencils, a camera, and digital media into the reading rooms.
You must store coats, bags (including purses), laptop and camera cases, pens, and markers.

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Q. How do I request materials?

A. All materials must be requested through DADABASE, the online catalog. Upon arrival at the Library, check in with the librarian to obtain a DADABASE ID, password, and instructions. A DADABASE ID and password will be issued to you each day you use the Libraries.

See also Can I connect to the Internet with my laptop?

Q. Will you ship materials between Libraries?

A. No. For reasons of security, preservation, and volume, researchers must visit the relevant library.

Q. May I use both Libraries on the same day?

A. No. At this time the Libraries are not open concurrently. (See Library hours)

Q. How are the Library, Museum Archives, and Study Centers related?
A. The Library, Museum Archives, and Study Centers work in concert. For general research about modern art, including catalogues from past Museum exhibitions, contact the Library. For primary source materials, especially those concerning The Museum of Modern Art as an institution, contact the Museum Archives. For materials related to individual works in the Museum's collections, including films and videos, consult the relevant study center.

Q. Is the Library catalogue on the Internet

A. Yes. DADABASE, the online catalogue of The Museum of Modern Art Library, Archives, and Study Centers is searchable at library.moma.org. To learn more, please see DADABASE FAQ.

Q. What research databases are available at the Libraries?
A. In addition to DADABASE, the Libraries' online catalog, several other art research databases are available for on-site use. These include periodical indexes (both citation-only and full-text), union catalogs, several auction results indexes, Dissertation Abstracts, and general reference sources such as the Grove Dictionary of Art Online.

Q. Are items in the catalogue digitized?

A. Virtually all listings in the catalog refer to physical materials, though links to some research databases are included. Several full-text and image databases are available to on-site researchers.

Q. May I borrow from the Library?
A. No. The Library is a research collection. Materials may not be removed from the Library. A photocopier and a photographic copy stand are available for you to make copies.

Direct requests from other libraries will be considered. Loans or photocopies are provided as appropriate. Send requests by letter, e-mail or fax (212) 333-1122. Requests from individuals and non-library institutions are not accepted.

Q. May I put materials on hold (on reserve)?
A. Yes. For use of Library materials over several days, items may be put "on hold" or "on reserve" at the Library Reference Desk. There is a one-week, five-item limit for holds. Periodicals and special collections items may not be put on hold.

Q. May I photocopy Library materials?
A. Yes. A self-service black-and-white photocopier is available at the Library. Copies are 15 cents each.

Color copies may be ordered for pick-up or mailing in two business days. Color copies are $2 each.

Available paper sizes for black-and-white or color copies are: 8.5 x 11", and 11 x 17".

In addition, 8.5 x 14" paper is available at QNS only.

One copier at each Library is equipped with eCopy, which makes free, digital, e-mailable copies.

Fragile or structurally weak materials may not be copied on the self-service photocopier. For an alternative, see May I photograph Library materials?

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Q. May I photograph Library materials?
A. Yes. Most Library materials may be photographed using the Library's photographic copy stand. Please make an appointment to use the copy stand when making an appointment for the Library.

You will need:

• Digital or 35mm camera
• 55mm macro lens (recommended) or standard lens
• film for 35mm cameras

The Library provides:

• a gray card
• background paper
• book supports
• cable release
• two 250-watt tungsten halogen projector lamps (3200K illumination)

Recommended film and settings:

Tips: use a light meter and bracket exposures. To bracket exposures, take three to five shots of one image, using a slightly different f-stop or shutter speed for each exposure. For more precise bracketing, set half-stops. To do this, set the f-stop "between clicks." Example: set the f-stop between f5.6 and f8 to get the setting f5.6 1/2.

Copyright notice:
Works in The Museum of Modern Art Library may be protected by the Copyright Law of The United States (Title 17, United States Code). Therefore, the making of copies, whether by photographs, photocopies or other reproductions, may be subject to copyright laws.

• Photographs taken of Library material may be used only for private study, scholarship, or research.
• Any other use, including reproduction or publication, requires the permission of the copyright holder.
• To learn about reproducing images of works in the Musuem collection, see Image Permissions.
• In processing requests for photographs, the Museum will require written proof of copyright clearance.

See also May I reproduce works in the Museum collection?

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Q. May I scan Library materials?

A. Yes. A free, self-service, 11 x 17" color scanner is available at the Manhattan Library and an 8.5 x 14" color scanner is available at QNS. Scans can be saved to CD or flash drive. Small files can be e-mailed.

Fragile or structurally weak materials may not be scanned. For an alternative, see May I photograph Library materials?

Q. Does the Library have audiovisual materials?
A. Yes. The Library collects video, CD, DVD, records, cassettes and other non-print media. DADABASE is searchable by medium. Ask staff for assistance.

Q. Does the Library have slides I can borrow?

A. No. The Library does not maintain a slide collection. For slide vendors please see How can I obtain a reproduction of a work in the Museum's collection?

Q. Can I connect to the Internet with my laptop?

A. MoMA Library Manhattan: Wireless, yes. Ethernet cable, no. Two Internet-accessible laptops are available in the reading room. Three loaner laptops are also available for individual use.

MoMA Library QNS: Ethernet cable yes, wireless, no. Two internet-accessible laptops are available in the reading room.

See also How do I request materials?

Q. Why can't I use sticky notes (like Post-It Notes) in the Library?
A. Sticky notes leave an adhesive residue on the page. Use plain paper bookmarks, available in the Library reading room.

Q. How can I find out if the Library would add a book (or artist's book, exhibition catalogue, exhibition announcement) to its collection?
A. The Library welcomes suggestions for additions to its collection. All gifts and recommendations are evaluated in accordance with the Library's collection development policy, available upon request. In brief, the Library attempts to collect comprehensively in modern and contemporary art (including painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, photography, architecture, design, film, video, and digital media). The Library collects published material in all media (print, audio, video, digital).

The Library also collects artists' books (also known as bookworks, book objects or artists' magazines) produced inexpensively in large editions (usually 100 or more) utilizing photomechanical processes. Of particular interest are visual books or those that integrate the verbal-visual aspects to convey a cohesive concept or idea. The Library does not collect unique or small-edition artists' books, illustrated books, or portfolios of prints or photographs.

Books for review should be sent to the Librarian, Collection Development with a cover letter addressing the guidelines.  Please include also a biographical statement or curriculum vita. Due to the volume of material received, materials cannot be returned.

See also How can I find Artists' Books in DADABASE?

Q. Does the Library have MoMA exhibition catalogues?

A. Yes. The Library maintains a complete set of MoMA publications, including exhibition catalogs, gallery brochures, many checklists, and press releases. Exhibition catalogs, gallery brochures, and checklists are cataloged in DADABASE. Press releases are housed in the Manhattan reading room, organized by date.

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Q. What is the Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection?
A. The Franklin Furnace Archive was founded by Martha Wilson (b. 1947) in 1976 as an archive of artist's books, as well as an exhibition and performance space. Its mission:

To collect twentieth-century art in book form and related materials published internationally; to inclusively catalogue and preserve art in book form; to make accessible and interpret the importance of the permanent collection through computerizing the catalogue of the collection, mounting traveling, historical and thematic exhibitions which utilize aspects of the permanent collection; and to mount installations; to publish; to administer education programs; to undertake unforeseen projects consistent with the impulse that produced the works in the permanent collection, such as performance art.

Through 1994, programs included multi-media installations and performance art presentations by emerging artists, including Laurie Anderson, Eric Bogosian, William Wegman, and many others; an archive of artists' books, periodicals, postcards, soundworks, manifestoes and broadsides; a literary program for elementary and high school students; an internship program for college students; travelling shows of artists' books; historical and thematic exhibitions of published work by artists; and a reference library on various fields of avant-garde expression. To learn about the current activities of Franklin Furnace, see the Franklin Furnace Web site.

Following the sale of the archive to the MoMA Library in 1994, Franklin Furnace continued to operate as an alternative artists' space, mounting installations and presenting performances through February 1997. The portion of the archive at the Library comprises artists' books, bookworks, book objects, artists' magazines, soundworks, and mail art (all catalogued in DADABASE).

The archive also includes secondary materials such as books, exhibition catalogues, ephemera, sound recordings, photographic portraits of artists, performance documentation, newsletters, and periodicals relating to the collection. In addition, the archive contains documentary materials generated by Franklin Furnace, such as exhibition planning records and correspondence, published checklists and catalogues, and records relating to acquisitions. See also How can I find Franklin Furnace Archive materials in DADABASE? and How can I find Artists' Books in DADABASE?

Q. What is the Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) Archive?
A. Political Art Documentation/Distribution, an artists' collective conceived by Lucy Lippard in 1979, was active through 1988. Its archive was organized by Barbara Moore and Mimi Smith and was donated to the Library in 1989. PAD/D's stated goal was:

To provide artists with an organized relationship to society, to demonstrate the political effectiveness of image making, and to provide a framework within which progressive artists can discuss and develop alternatives to the mainstream art system.

The Archive focuses on the decade 1979–90, with some material dating from the early 1960s. The collection is composed of two sections: files and posters. Files are organized by names of persons, groups, and exhibition spaces as well as by topics and PAD/D administrative categories. The files are catalogued individually in DADABASE. See also How can I find Political Art Documentation/Distribution Archive materials in DADABASE?

The poster collection includes works relating to ACT UP, Allen Ginsberg, Angry Arts, Art Workers Coalition, Barbara Kruger, Coalition for a People's Alternative in 1980, Dona Ann McAdams, Elizabeth Kulas, Greg Sholette, Guerrilla Girls, Heresies, Jerry Kearns, Keith Haring, PAD/D, Printed Matter, Terminal New York, War Resisters League, Yoko Ono and John Lennon, and others. Prior arrangement is required; please contact the Library.

For a brief history of PAD/D, see The Museum of Modern Art Library Bulletin, n.86, Winter 1993/94.

Q. How can I access The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Archive?
The Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Archive is maintained by the Architecture and Design Study Center. Researchers are advised to start with the publications listed below. These include photographic reproductions of all the architectural drawings by Mies van der Rohe in the possession of the Archive, as well as catalogue entries describing each drawing (and print and collage). If the project was built, these volumes contain one or more photographs, and in some cases, photographs of models. The first six volumes cover the German period, while the remaining fourteen volumes are devoted to the American work. The set may be consulted at the Library.

• Arthur Drexler, ed., The Mies van der Rohe Archive Part I: 1910-1937 (New York: Garland, 1986), v.1-4. Call number: Archive M44 A17d v.1-4
• Franz Schulze, ed., The Mies van der Rohe Archive Part I: 1910-1937, Supplementary Drawings (New York: Garland, 1990), v.5-6. Call number: Oversize Archive M44 A17d v.5-6
• Franz Schulze and George Danfoth, eds., The Mies van der Rohe Archive Part I: 1938-1968 (New York: Garland, 1993), v. 7-20. Call number: Oversize Archive M44 A17d v.7-20

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Q. What is in an Artist File?
The Library's Artist Files, numbering over 40,000, may contain exhibition announcements, press releases, clippings, brochures, small exhibition catalogues, or checklists, as well as invitations or other ephemera. Most artist exhibition catalogues are not in the artist files; rather, they are catalogued individually in DADABASE.

To see if an artist has a file, search DADABASE by subject for the artist's name. Artist Files are paper files not currently in digital form, however a microfiche copy (as of approximately 1984) is available at the Manhattan Library, at several research libraries, or through the publisher, Chadwyck-Healey.

Q. What is in a Subject File?
The Library's Subject Files, numbering approximately 4,000, briefly document institutions and topics through announcements and clippings. Material has not been added to the Subject Files since 1998. These are paper files not available in digital form. Because the Subject Files tend to be "thin," see if there are additional materials on your topic through a DADABASE search by subject, or ask a librarian for assistance. Subject files are located at QNS. See also How can I find Subject Files in DADABASE?

Q. What is in an Archive Pamphlet File?
The Library's Archive Pamphlet Files concern the Museum and Museum-related events, topics, people, and places. These files are located at the Manhattan Library. These files may contain clippings, press releases or other ephemera. They are paper files currently unavailable in digital form. To see if there are additional materials on your topic, also search DADABASE by subject. See also How can I find Archives Pamphlet Files in DADABASE?

Q. Would you copy and send a file to me?
Due to the number of queries we receive, it's not possible for us to copy and send file contents. Instead, please consult the file at the Library (see also May I photocopy Library materials?). For Artist File contents, please try to obtain the microfiche version through your local library, interlibrary loan, or from the publisher, Chadwyck-Healey.

Q. Will the Library research a topic for me?

A. No. In-depth questions must be explored by the researcher. Library staff can suggest approaches to a topic or help researchers to locate sources via e-mail. Librarians can also often answer reference questions. Reference questions concern readily-available facts (such as artist birth and death dates or Museum collection catalog checks).

Updated November 2006

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