Research & Collections

Researchers of all ages discover history in our landmark library.

Brooklyn Historical Society collects, preserves, and makes accessible the world’s most comprehensive collection of materials related to Brooklyn’s history and culture. The collections foster new and cutting-edge scholarship; support public learning and research; and enrich BHS’s exhibitions, educational activities, and public programming.

Research Hours

The Othmer Library is located at BHS’s main site at 128 Pierrepont Street. It is open to the public Wednesday to Saturday from 1 to 5pm.

Visit Us!

Research Hours

The Othmer Library is located at BHS’s main site at 128 Pierrepont Street. It is open to the public Wednesday to Saturday from 1 to 5pm.

Visit Us!

Search Our Collections

BHS makes its materials available to all researchers.

Collections

Books

Search for books and periodicals about Brooklyn history, politics, development, and culture.

Collections

Archives and Special Collections

The archives and manuscript collections document the history of Brooklyn and Long Island from the 1600s to the present.

Collections

Maps

Search for historical maps that span 1562 to the present.

Collections

Oral Histories

The oral history collections provide evidence about the lives of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Brooklyn residents.

Collections

Photographs

The photography collections at BHS include images documenting Brooklyn and Long Island from the 1870s to the present.

Still from video about Brooklyn Historical Society's 1991 exhibition

Collections

Film, Video, and Audio Recordings

Explore digitized film, video, and audio recordings from our collections.

Collections

Newspapers

The Long-Island Star, 1809-63, is keyword searchable at newspapers.com.

Collections

Land Conveyances

This collection documents Brooklyn land ownership from the late seventeenth century to 1896. Organized by block number, these abstracts show seller (grantor) and buyer (grantee) information.

Research Guides

Research guides help our visitors find relevant archival collections on many different subjects.

Learn more

Research Guides

House and Building Research

This research guide highlights resources for house and building research at BHS.

Research Guides

Family History and Genealogy Research

This research guide highlights materials pertaining to genealogy and family research at BHS.

Research Guides

Research guides help our visitors find relevant archival collections on many different subjects.

Learn more