Hours of Operation*

Group Visits and Instructional Sessions

The Center for Jewish History welcomes groups and classes of all ages. Visitors may explore primary source materials, learn about historical and genealogy research and gain skills that can be applied to any library/archive by visiting the Center’s Outreach Department. Over the past year, we have provided personalized sessions for: school groups of various ages, summer camps, scouting troops, professional organizations and senior citizens centers, all of whom have visited the Ackman & Ziff Genealogy Institute and the Lillian Goldman Reading Room as part of this initiative. Potential sessions can include:

• Primary source research, as mandated by Common Core
• Sessions on a selected topic, theme, or time period, using collection materials (Immigration, women’s history, and the historical aspects of “fake news” are a few recent sessions.)
• Group genealogical classes and research sessions
• STEM/STEAM themed sessions that show the intersection of science and the humanities/social sciences
• Girl Scout Troop sessions that fulfill badge requirements for Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors. Click here to learn more about this special offering.

If you are interested in learning more please fill out the form here and we will be in touch.

Information on general tours can be found here.

Rules & Policies

The Center for Jewish History welcomes you to the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, where you can view the expansive and diverse collections of our five partner institutions, the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In these collections, each item represents a moment in Jewish history that must be preserved.

We need your help to ensure that the items you are handling will be available to future generations of researchers. We ask users to exercise extraordinary care in handling all materials in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room. In addition, every user is expected to abide by the following policies designed to preserve the collections. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to discuss these with our professional staff.

A valid picture ID must be presented at the front desk upon entering the building. A Reading Room Pass will be issued prior to admittance into the Reading Room. On his/her first visit to the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, each researcher will also be required to create an account for requesting materials.

Photocopying and Digital Photography at Center for Jewish History

Photocopies may be obtained by filling out a Photocopy Request Form*. Copies are made only by staff members. Photocopying services may not be possible for fragile materials. Staff reserves the right to be the final arbiter of what may be photocopied. Requests for permission to publish materials from collections must be submitted in writing.

The partners of the Center for Jewish History prefer the use of flash-free personal digital photography in lieu of photocopies, in order to safeguard the condition of our materials. Many archival collections and printed books cannot be photocopied due to concerns about condition, and digital photography is often the only option for reproduction of these materials. Therefore, we strongly encourage all readers to bring a camera, tablet, or smartphone in order to take photos of materials; please do not assume that photocopies will be available or permitted. If you do not have a device capable of photography, please see the Reference Services staff for assistance; we have devices you may borrow to facilitate photography. Please note that scanners are not permitted in the Reading Room.

For general guidance on using digital images in your archival research, including workflow and organizing your images, please see this helpful guide from Cornell University Library: http://guides.library.cornell.edu/

For Permissions and Reproductions information for YIVO, please visit yivo.org/Rights-Reproductions.

Pricing

Payment is only accepted in US Dollars. Checks or money orders in US Dollars drawn on a US Bank should be made out to: Center for Jewish History.

Please note: The Center for Jewish History reserves the right to rate changes.

Restrictions on Materials Copied

The Center and our partners reserve the right to determine the format of any duplication requests; your copies may be provided as either a paper photocopy or a digital file. This decision will be made based on the condition of the materials and the size of the request, among other factors. Charges will be estimated by staff and provided to you for review and approval before the duplication is initiated.

• No copying of items deemed "rare materials" by Reading Room staff.
• No fragile or brittle items.
• No bulky or cumbersome materials.
• No more than 1/3 of any publication or manuscript may be copied.
• The copying of some material requires written permission of the Donor or the author of the document. We shall inform you if this is the case.
• Center for Jewish History staff members are the final arbiters of what may be photocopied.

THE COPYRIGHT LAW OF THE UNITED STATES (TITLE 17, U.S. CODE) GOVERNS THE MAKING OF PHOTOCOPIES OR OTHER REPRODUCTIONS OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS SPECIFIED IN THE LAW, LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES ARE AUTHORIZED TO FURNISH A PHOTOCOPY OR OTHER REPRODUCTION. ONE OF THESE SPECIFIED CONDITIONS IS THAT THE PHOTOCOPY OR REPRODUCTION IS NOT TO BE "USED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP, OR RESEARCH." IF A USER MAKES A REQUEST FOR, OR LATER USES, A PHOTOCOPY OR REPRODUCTION FOR PURPOSES IN EXCESS OF "FAIR USE," THAT USER MAY BE LIABLE FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. THIS INSTITUTION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO ACCEPT A COPYING ORDER IF IN ITS JUDGEMENT, FULFILLMENT OF THE ORDER WOULD INVOLVE VIOLATION OF COPYRIGHT LAW.

Computer Policies

The Center provides computers for visitor use in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room and Genealogy Institute. Use of these computers is limited to:

• Consultation of electronic catalogues. Information sheets will guide you to the catalogues available through our computers.
• Internet browsing, solely to provide access to sites that are related to research in Jewish Studies and genealogical research.
• Email transmissions through your own Internet provider; the Center does not provide email accounts.
• Printers and one CD-ROM drive are available in public-access computers.  Please call us to book the CD-ROM drive at (212) 294-8301 extension 5101.

DVD players for use with Center for Jewish History material only are available via a laptop from the IT department under the following conditions:

Kindly reserve the laptop 7 days prior to your visit noting that you will be using a DVD. In your request state from which of the partner collections the DVD will be provided (AJHS, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research or Yeshiva University Museum). Before reserving, make sure you have clearance for use of the DVD from the partner organization.

Users may connect their own laptop computers in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room and in the Genealogy Institute.

Restrictions on Use of the Center's Computers

The Center's computers may not be used in any of these ways:

• Use that violates any federal, state, or local laws, including copyright law and licensing agreements.
• Use that would violate the Center's tax-exempt status.
• Attempting to access, or accessing, any Center intranet files, or downloading software, executable files, databases, or related technology, or any activities that would modify or damage Center equipment, software, or databases.
• Actions that disrupt services for Center staff, volunteers, or users, including but not limited to excessive use of computers when other users are waiting a turn.

Internet Policy

Staff and volunteers may help you access Internet sites, but the Center is not responsible for the accuracy of Internet information.

The Center is a special-purpose institution, committed principally to Jewish studies and genealogical research, and we have a limited number of computers; therefore, visitors should browse only Internet sites related directly to those special purposes.

The Center provides unfiltered Internet access. Users are responsible for accommodating themselves to the consequences of Constitutionally protected communication, even if they might observe or hear objectionable materials while on the Center's premises. We do ask our visitors to be considerate of others regarding any electronic views or sounds that may be disturbing to others.

Parents/legal guardians need to assume responsibility for determining what information resources they want their children to access. The Center assumes that parents/legal guardians have provided guidance to their children about Internet use.

The Center will not release information on the Internet use of any person using a Center computer; however, the Internet is not a secure medium and the Center has no control over the information that others may obtain regarding Internet use.

The Center reserves the right to limit or revoke all computer, Reading Room, and/or Center Genealogy Institute privileges for users who violate Center user policy.

Book Donations

The Lillian Goldman Reading Room/Ackman & Ziff Genealogy Institute will no longer accept donations of books or other collection materials for partner organizations. If you have materials you would like to donate to one of the collections, please send a list of items you would like to donate to the appropriate contact listed. Only donations within the scope of the individual collections will be accepted. All donations are accepted/declined at the sole discretion of partner organizations.