American Jewish Historical Society
Address
Phone
Fax
History
Established in 1892, the mission of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish heritage and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history. At our home on West 16th street in downtown Manhattan, AJHS illuminates American Jewish history through our many archival treasures, scholarship, exhibitions, and public programs. Among the treasures of our collection are the handwritten original of Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colossus,” which graces the Statue of Liberty; records of the nation’s leading Jewish communal organizations; and important collections in the fields of education, philanthropy, science, sports, business, and the arts.
Opening Times
Mon – Thurs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Fri 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Closed on Saturdays, all major Jewish holidays, and all major national holidays.
Conditions of Access
The collections at the American Jewish Historical Society may be viewed by researchers in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room located within the Center for Jewish History at 15 W. 16th Street in New York City.
The Center for Jewish History welcomes researchers, scholars, and visitors of all backgrounds. The Lillian Goldman Reading Room, often described as the heart of the Center for Jewish History, is the gateway for exploring the diverse history of the Jewish people through the collections housed at the Center.
The Reading Room is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Visits are by appointment only, and reservations can be made through your research account. Appointments and materials requests must be made at least 7 days in advance.
Research Services
Usage fees may be assessed in addition to any costs for digitization or research fees. These fees are assessed by the AJHS as the owner of the physical collection material. Please note usage fees are separate from copyright. The requester is responsible for securing copyright permissions. For more questions and information about copyright law please visit http://www.copyright.gov/ and read http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf.
Please address permissions requests to Megan Scauri, Senior Librarian for Special Collections and Digital Projects, at mscauri@ajhs.org. In-depth research services are available at an hourly fee for individuals and institutions. Please contact mscauri@ajhs.org for further information.
Reproduction Services
Permission to reproduce collection materials must be sent at least three weeks in advance and paid for prior to usage. Rush requests may be assessed additional fees.
All permissions requests will be answered in the order in which they are received. A Materials Release Form must be completed for commercial use of photographs, images of archival documents, and audio and video files.
Photocopies and digital reproductions are available at $1.00 per page. Additional costs may be assessed for oversize or fragile materials. Please note that photocopies and digital reference queries will both incur a labor service charge of $25 per hour, with a minimum charge of $12.50 (one ½ hour). Orders over 50 pages are subject to a 20% surcharge of the total cost; and orders over 100 pages are subject to a 25% surcharge of the total cost.