How should I address mail and packages?

All mail and packages containing books, manuscripts, or other materials to be acquired by the Beinecke Library must be addressed to the appropriate curator unless otherwise instructed. Please use the postal address or shipping address below as appropriate.

NOTE: during the Beinecke Library’s 2021 phased reopening no unsolicited acquisitions can be accepted; PLEASE DO NOT send books, manuscripts or other materials to the Library without consulting the appropriate curator or Lucy Mulroney, Associate Director of Collections, Research and Education: lucy.mulroney@yale.edu.

Postal Address (USPS)

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven, CT 06520-8330
U.S.A.

Shipping/Courier/Frieght Address (FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.)

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
344 Winchester Avenue
Dock 8
New Haven, CT 06511
U.S.A

If you have questions about how best to prepare your items for shipping, please consult our Packing Guidelines for Collection Material.

What are your requirements for an invoice?

a)     Shipments of books, manuscripts, or other materials to be acquired by Yale University and the Beinecke Library must be accompanied by a numbered, dated invoice with the name of the vendor (business or individual) and the vendor’s permanent address, and be addressed to Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the name of the appropriate Beinecke curator or collection.

b)     Beinecke Library staff are prohibited from creating an invoice on your behalf. If you need assistance creating an invoice, for your convenience we have created an invoice template which you may download, complete, and submit for payment: BeineckeInvoiceTemplate.docx

c)     Invoices that do not accurately reflect the contents or costs of an ordermay be corrected by Beinecke staff to reflect materials received (i.e. materials not received or received in duplicate will be removed from the invoice before payment is made); incorrect invoices will be modified by Beinecke staff to reflect correct costs.

d)     Books and other printed materials with a retail value of less than $50 per item and received without an invoice may be accessioned as gifts, returned to the vendor, or discarded by the Library.

I am a bookseller outside the United States. What documentation should accompany my shipment?

In addition to an accurate invoice, your shipment should include any documentation, such as an export license, required by your customs authority.

I am doing business with the Beinecke Library / Yale for the first time. What tax-related documentation do you require?

a)     If you are an individual or business based in the United States doing business with Yale for the first time, please attach a completed W-9 form to the invoice. 

b)     If you are a business based outside the United States doing business with Yale for the first time, please attach a completed W-8BEN-E form to the invoice.

c)     If you are an individual based outside the United States doing business with Yale for the first time, please attach a completed W-8BEN form to the invoice.

In addition to the appropriate tax form, we will need a contact phone number and email address.

I am based outside the United States and require payment via wire transfer. What documentation is needed?

In order for us to process wire transfers, Yale University policy requires that the following information be submitted to us on bank letterhead. 

• Bank name
• Bank address
• Sort code
• SWIFT code
• BIC (Bank Identifier Code)
• Iban (International bank account number)
• Account number
• Currency type

How soon may I expect to receive payment?

Upon receipt of new purchases, Beinecke Library staff will verify that the materials received match their description. We endeavor to complete verification as quickly as possible, but large and complicated acquisitions take longer to verify than smaller, simpler ones. One way to help ensure prompt payment is to provide accurate and usable descriptions of the materials to be acquired by the library. Expect verification to take from one to three weeks.

Upon successful verification and provision of the invoice and payment instructions, staff will submit the invoice for payment. Beinecke Library payments are issued by Yale University’s Accounts Payable Department and are therefore dependent on that department’s schedule and workflow. We are unable to process “rush” requests.

After an invoice has been approved and submitted, the typical timing for payment is as follows:

Established Vendors

• Domestic: 6 business days
• International: 10 business days

New Vendors (including bank set-up for checks or wire transfer)

• Domestic: 5 business days for set-up plus 6 business days for payment processing
• International: 10 business days for set-up plus 10 business days for processing

High dollar amount purchases require an additional 2 business days for approval.