Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

The Schomburg Center is a research library on Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem, New York, holding over eleven million items documenting African American and African Diaspora experiences. The facility spreads across several connected buildings with reading rooms, archive spaces, and public areas for exhibitions and programs.

The institution began in 1925 as the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints within the New York Public Library. One year later, it received the private collection of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a Puerto Rican historian and collector who dedicated his life to documenting Black achievements.

The site takes its name from curator Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, who donated his private collection to prove that people of African descent have a documented history. Visitors can walk through the Langston Hughes Auditorium and exhibition halls, where rotating displays show the living connection between past and present Black communities.

The Jean Blackwell Hutson Research Division welcomes visitors without prior appointments, while other sections need advance scheduling for viewing materials. Reading rooms are located in the main building and offer work spaces for research with original documents and digitized holdings.

The collection holds original manuscripts by Malcolm X and Ralph Bunche, as well as early poems by Phillis Wheatley, one of the first published poets of African descent in America. Among the holdings are also extensive materials on Caribbean cultures, including rare sound recordings of traditional music and oral histories from across the region.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1925

Architects: Bond Ryder & Associates

Accessibility: Wheelchair limited access

Operator: New York Public Library

Part of: New York Public Library Research Libraries

Address: 514 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10037

Phone: +12124912200

Website: https://nypl.org/locations/schomburg

GPS coordinates: 40.81444,-73.94111

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:25