New York Colleges & Universities
Top college and university libraries in New York
These college and university libraries stand out for their collections, special collections and archives. Public access varies, so each entry says how visitors can use the library.
Columbia University LibrariesColumbia University
Columbia's libraries hold more than 7 million print volumes and give access to over 9 million e-books, with materials in more than 450 languages. Butler Library has housed the Rare Book & Manuscript Library on its sixth floor since 1984. Those collections span more than 4,000 years, from cuneiform tablets, papyri and medieval manuscripts to theater set models, puppets, posters and recordings. The Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library is a major resource for architecture and art. Visitor access is limited to affiliates of select institutions, and all visitors must show a government-issued photo ID. METRO referrals give courtesy access to library users across New York City and Westchester, and anyone with a research need can make an appointment to see special collections.
NYU LibrariesNew York University
NYU kept its books in scattered campus locations until 1973, when a gift from Elmer Holmes and Mamdouha Bobst made a central library possible. The 12-story Bobst Library on Washington Square, designed by Philip Johnson and Richard Foster, is the flagship of a seven-library system that holds 8.6 million volumes and 4.6 million e-books. Its Special Collections Center brings together the Fales Library, the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, and the University Archives in one reading room. Access is restricted. General visitors must be sponsored by an NYU faculty or staff member, and special collections are open by appointment only.
Cornell University LibraryCornell University
Anyone may visit Cornell University Library's Ithaca libraries and use the stacks, special collections and licensed databases on site. A free "Borrow on Site!" card lets visitors from anywhere check out circulating books. The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections holds 500,000 printed volumes, more than 80 million manuscripts and a million photographs, prints and other visual items, from cuneiform tablets to comic books. It is also home to the Cornell Hip Hop Collection. Established in 2007, it holds more than 250,000 items, and anyone can schedule a research visit without a Cornell affiliation.
River Campus LibrariesUniversity of Rochester
Rush Rhees Library, on the University of Rochester's River Campus, is the home of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation. It also houses the Rossell Hope Robbins Library and the University Archives. Its tower holds the Hopeman Memorial Carillon, one of only seven carillons in New York State. The special collections include political collections on William Henry Seward and Louise Slaughter, along with extensive material on suffrage, abolition and civil rights, Spiritualism, and the history of Rochester and Monroe County. Exhibitions are open to the public with no appointment needed. Researchers can use the collections during open hours after registering.
University at Buffalo LibrariesUniversity at Buffalo
The University at Buffalo is home to the Poetry Collection, founded in 1935 and the library of record for 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English. It holds one of the world's largest collections of poetry first editions, little magazines and broadsides, plus more than 150 archives of poets, presses and organizations. Its James Joyce Collection includes more than 10,000 pages of the author's working papers, notebooks and manuscripts, along with his private library. Both are open to the public on weekdays. Community members can borrow books by joining the Friends of the University Libraries for $50 a year, and on-campus guest computer accounts are available.
Syracuse University LibrariesSyracuse University
Bird Library at Syracuse University is home to the Special Collections Research Center, which started with the university's library in 1870. Its first major acquisition came in 1887 with the purchase of the library of Leopold von Ranke, the founder of modern historical research methods. In 2016 the University Archives and the Belfer Audio Archive merged into the center, and it also keeps the Pan Am 103 Archives. The libraries are typically open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Special collections are used by appointment in the reading room on Bird Library's sixth floor.
Binghamton University LibrariesBinghamton University (SUNY)
Bartle Library and the Science Library are open to the public during posted hours, although late-night access after midnight is limited to Binghamton students and staff. New York State residents who live within 50 miles of campus can sign up for a free courtesy borrower account. Community members can also use most licensed e-resources by asking for a computer pass at the Access Services desk. Special Collections holds the Max Reinhardt Archives and Library. It documents the Austrian director's career through photographs, set and costume designs, and his annotated promptbooks, from a career that coincided with the rise of the director in modern theater.
Fordham University LibrariesFordham University
The Walsh Family Library on Fordham's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx houses the university's Archives and Special Collections. Its rare printed books date from 1473. Collections include the McLees Collection of Gaelic language books, the Bronx African American History Archive, a World Trade Center Collection and drawings by the artist John Trumbull. Fordham's libraries are a private system, and their collections are not open to the public. Two exceptions are the U.S. Government Documents collection, open for on-site use on weekdays, and the Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art, open to the public seven days a week during the academic year. Both require a valid photo ID.
University at Albany LibrariesUniversity at Albany (SUNY)
The University at Albany's libraries on the Uptown Campus are open to the public. Community members may use the collections inside the buildings and can join a courtesy borrower program that gives them free borrowing privileges. Guest computer passes are available at the University Library's lobby service desk. The M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives is in the Science Library, on the south side of the academic podium. It collects manuscripts, official records and rare books, and its research room is open to the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitor parking is available in Lot 2 for a small fee.
Stony Brook University LibrariesStony Brook University (SUNY)
Stony Brook's main library is the Frank Melville, Jr. Memorial Library, and the system also includes the Health Sciences Library, the Music Library and the Southampton Library. The libraries are open to the public. Visitors can browse the collections, use the online search tools on designated computers and apply for a courtesy borrower account to check out books. Online resources are limited to current students, faculty and staff when off campus. Special Collections and University Archives holds manuscripts and papers, rare books and historical maps. Visits are by appointment only, so contact the department before you go.
The most beautiful college library in New York
A. D. White LibraryCornell University
The A. D. White Library is a room inside Cornell's Uris Library, which opened on October 7, 1891. Andrew Dickson White worked with architect William Henry Miller, Cornell's first architecture student, on a cross-shaped room lined with three tiers of book stacks. Wrought-iron scrollwork covers the upper levels, balconies, crosswalks and corbels, framing thousands of books, and spiral staircases tucked into the corners lead to the upper tiers. The red carpet added in the 1980s gives the room a jewel-like glow. White called the Richardsonian Romanesque building, with its landmark tower, a secular cathedral devoted to books and learning.
Last verified: November 2, 2026. Visitor rules, hours and borrowing policies change, so check the library's website before you go.
About colleges and universities in New York
New York has two of the largest public university systems in the country. The State University of New York has 64 campuses, from research universities and medical centers to community colleges, and serves nearly 1.3 million students. The City University of New York has 26 colleges across the five boroughs. The state also has many well-known private universities, including Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Rochester and Syracuse.
Access to college libraries varies widely in New York. SUNY university libraries such as Albany, Binghamton and Stony Brook let visitors use their collections on site, and some offer courtesy borrowing to local residents. Private universities are often stricter: some require a referral, such as a METRO referral from your own library in the New York City area, or a sponsor. Special collections and archives are usually open to outside researchers by appointment. Check the library's visitor page before you go.