Introduction to the Collections

The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library collect extensively in the field of biography and autobiography; the collections in this area represent nearly every historical period, geographical area, and occupational affiliation.

The Reading Rooms of the General Research Division house most of the major biographical reference sources, many of which are found on the open shelves. These include indexes and guides to biographical material as well as biographical dictionaries, works of collective biography (concerned with groups of individuals, often arranged by nationality or vocation), and a selection of biographies of notable individuals.

Users are welcome to browse this collection of reference materials, located in the Rose Main Reading Room.

The vast majority of the Library's collective and individual biographies are shelved in the stacks. These items can be identified by using CATNYP, the online catalog of The New York Public Library’s Research Libraries. Users will need to request these materials to be brought up to them for use in the Reading Rooms.

Depending on the subject of one’s research, individual and collective biographies may be located in another division of the Library. For instance, individuals researching an artist will likely find many artist biographies located in the Art & Architecture Collection. Refer to the location field in CATNYP to determine the division holding the desired material.

The Library also subscribes to many electronic resources that will be helpful to the researcher. These resources can be used from the public computers in any of our reading rooms, including those located in the South Hall of the Rose Main Reading Room.