Hours & Other Details

Reading Room (court level)

The reading room is open to registered researchers:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9am – 4:30pm

Wednesday, 10am – 4:30pm

Registration is available for Yale and non-Yale researchers. For information on registration, please see Guide to Using Special Collections at Yale University.

Public Exhibition Hall (ground floor and mezzanine)

Public visitors are welcome in the Beinecke Library exhibition hall. Regular hours are:
 
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday,  9am – 7pm
Wednesday, 10am – 7pm
Friday, 9am – 5pm
Saturday and Sunday, noon – 5pm
 
No reservation or registration is required for individual walk-in visits. NOTE: access to all or part of the exhibition hall or mezzanine is restricted, on occasion, due to special events.
 

Holiday and other closures

The reading room will open at 10am on Friday, May 16, 2025. The public exhibition hall will be open regular hours that day.

The reading room and public exhibition hall are closed on Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Friday, and during Yale winter recess from just before Christmas through the New Year holiday (in 2025-26, closed beginning on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and reopening on Friday, January 2, 2026). The libary is often open for a public program on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday from noon to 4pm, but not open for individual research that day. In 2025, the MLK program will be held on Sunday, January 19, so both the exhibition hall and reading room will be closed on Monday, January 20.
 

Other information to note

We are committed to the health and safety of our visitors and staff. Please note and follow these guidelines:
  • Only library-led group tours allowed
  • Food & drink not permitted
  • No public restrooms available
  • Non-flash photography with hand-held camera for personal use allowed
  • Photography for commercial use or formal distribution, wedding photography and other formal personal photography shoots, flash photography, videography, selfie sticks, and tripods all prohibited
  • Court (lower) level access reserved for registered researchers and library staff
  • 121 Wall Street is accessible to people with mobility challenges
  • Visitors needing elevator access to and from the mezzanine level will be assisted by library staff
  • Elevator access is reserved for mobility-challenged visitors and library staff 

A reminder that all are welcome to access materials through the Beinecke Library’s Digital Collections as well as by requesting reproductions.