A large, brightly lit room in a library lined with shelves of books; the center has long rectangular wooden tables and chairs where researchers work.

Thomas J. Watson Library

Please review our Frequently Asked Questions for Visitors in advance of your visit. All researchers are required to adhere to Visitor Guidelines.

Thomas J. Watson Library is The Met's research library. With its collection of more than one million volumes, extensive digital collections, and online resources, Watson Library is one of the world's most comprehensive art libraries.

The Library's holdings reflect the global and encyclopedic nature of The Met, with books ranging in date from the late fifteenth century, to current scholarship, in all fields covered by The Met. Last year the Library added more than twenty thousand titles in sixty-seven languages.

The Library's mission is to support the research activities of the Museum staff and to offer access and outstanding services to an international community of students and scholars.

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