RESEARCH · IN-PERSON

Visit the Library & Research Center.

The reading room is open to researchers — students, scholars, family historians, journalists, novelists, the curious — Tuesday through Saturday by appointment.

Request an appointmentVisit details

Hours

Tuesday – Friday10am – 5pm (by appointment)
Saturday10am – 5pm (second + fourth Sat.)
Sunday – MondayClosed

First-time visitors

  • Register at the front desk on first visit (free, 5 minutes).
  • Pencils only — pens stay in lockers.
  • Photography allowed without flash; specific items may require permission.
  • Bring a government ID for first-time registration.

WHICH DEPARTMENT HELPS?

Five departments. One reading room.

Each curatorial team holds a distinct slice of the collection. Pick the department that fits your research before you book — or use the form below and we'll route your request internally.

DEPARTMENT

Library

Walk-ins welcome

Reference Librarian on duty

Reference & Reading Room Services

100,000+ books, periodicals, city directories, and microfilm covering St. Louis history, neighborhood history, urban development, ethnic culture, business, religion, architecture, 1904 World's Fair, American Indian history, fur trade, and Missouri statehood. Walk-in research; no appointment needed.

  • Books & periodicals
  • City directories
  • Maps & atlases
  • Microfilm
  • Subscription databases on-site
Phone
314.746.4500
Email
library@mohistory.org

DEPARTMENT

Documents & Archives

Walk-ins welcome

Manuscripts Curator

Senior Curator, Documents & Archives

3,000+ archival collections including the William Clark Papers, the Thomas Jefferson Collection, Louisiana Purchase Exposition records, and the Lindbergh papers. Finding aids available online; reading-room access for original materials.

  • Manuscripts
  • Rare correspondence
  • Institutional records
  • Legal documents
  • Personal papers
Phone
314.746.4510
Email
archives@mohistory.org

DEPARTMENT

Photographs & Prints

Appointment required

Photographs Curator

Curator, Photographs & Prints

1,000,000+ images spanning Edward Curtis portraits, Easterly daguerreotypes, mid-19th-century city views, the Sievers Studio commercial archive, Lindbergh and aviation photography, Katherine Dunham, the Swekosky neighborhood survey, and Post-Dispatch photojournalism.

  • Photographs
  • Prints & lithographs
  • Daguerreotypes
  • Press photography
Phone
314.746.4511
Email
photo@mohistory.org

DEPARTMENT

Multimedia · Moving Images & Sound

Appointment required

Audiovisual Archivist

Archivist, Audiovisual Collections

One of the largest moving-image and sound archives in the Midwest — local broadcast masters, news B-roll, documentary footage, home movies, religious and corporate productions, and recordings of St. Louis musicians. Most access is on-site only.

  • 16mm & 35mm film
  • Broadcast video masters
  • Audio recordings
  • Oral histories
Phone
314.746.4441
Email
movingimages@mohistory.org

DEPARTMENT

Objects & Artifacts

Appointment required

Collections Curator

Curator, Material Culture

175,000+ artifacts — clothing and textiles, equipment, furniture, household items, military gear, personal effects, tools, toys, and commercial and political ephemera. Objects research is by appointment due to handling and storage constraints.

  • Costume & textiles
  • Decorative arts
  • Tools & equipment
  • Political ephemera
  • Toys & domestic life
Phone
314.746.4441
Email
objects@mohistory.org

In production, a researcher's booking request lands in the named department's queue — archives@ goes to Documents & Archives staff, photo@ goes to Photographs & Prints, and so on — with appointment routing handled by Aeon (Atlas Systems' standard archival request platform).

Request an appointment

Tell us what you’d like to look at.

A research librarian will reach out within 3 business days to confirm and pull materials.

Submit request