Several Prominent Beinecke Archival Collections to Temporarily Close in Preparation for May 2015 Renovation

Beginning in April 2014, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library will temporarily close various archival collections in preparation for a major building renovation scheduled to start in May 2015. In general, collections that are temporarily closed will be unavailable for six to eight weeks.

Researchers planning to visit the Beinecke should consult the library’s closed collections schedule beforehand to confirm the availability of desired materials. The schedule is currently subject to change, so researchers should check it frequently as they plan their visits.

Over the next year, the library will transfer about 12,000 cartons of collection material to an offsite shelving facility. This work requires the temporary closing of many of the library’s most important and frequently consulted archival collections. While temporarily closed, the collections will be unavailable for consultation in the reading room, classrooms, or for reproduction requests.

The temporary closings will be staggered throughout the year. Among collections slated to close in spring 2014 are the papers of Thornton Wilder, Eugene O’Neill, Langston Hughes, James Weldon and Grace Nail Johnson, H. D., and Edith Wharton. Collections to close in fall 2014 include the papers of Mable Dodge Luhan, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, and Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe.

The Beinecke Library regrets any inconvenience these necessary disruptions may cause and encourages researchers to plan their visits carefully in the coming year.

Once the renovation work begins following commencement in May 2015, the library will operate a temporary reading room in the Franke Periodical Reading Room in the Sterling Memorial Library.

Visit our renovation website for full project details. Please direct questions to beinecke.renovations@yale.edu.