Collections On-Site Research

COVID-19 Update

The Archives will be closed to research appointments until further notice. For specific research questions, please use our Contact page form with “Research Collections” as the topic. Our Digital Collections will continue to be accessible 24/7 and are available here.

On-Site Research

The Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives Collections are accessible to the public, and we welcome many researchers every year from all over the world.

On-site research is available by appointment only. To make an appointment, we ask that you:

  1. Search the Online Catalog to compile a list of items you’d like to study on-site.
  2. Make an appointment.
  3. Bring a photo ID when visiting.

Please note that our collections are currently located in the Archives at the Rosenthal Library on the Queens College campus, located about 5 miles (8 km) from the Museum.

Hours: By appointment only (Monday – Friday)

Admission: Free

DIRECTIONS TO QUEENS COLLEGE

By Car:
Take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 24. Turn south onto Kissena Blvd (a right turn, if you are heading east). The entrance to the Queens College campus will be immediately on your right. Get parking pass from Security. The Archives is located in the Rosenthal Library, room 332. Enter the lobby of the Library (underneath the clock tower). The Archives is to your left in the lobby, before you enter the rotunda.

By Public Transportation (2 options):

  1. (Recommended from Manhattan) Take the E or F train (which run express in Queens) to Forest Hills-71 Ave. Exit on the north side of Queens Blvd. Take bus Q64 to the corner of Jewel Avenue and 150th Street. Walk one (long and curved) block on 150th Street. The Queens College campus will be in front of you. The Archives is located in the Rosenthal Library, room 332. Enter the lobby of the Library (underneath the clock tower). The Archives is to your left in the lobby, before you enter the rotunda.
  2. Take the LIRR or the 7 train to Flushing-Main Street. Then take either bus Q17, Q25, or Q34 to Queens College. The Archives is located in the Rosenthal Library, room 332. Enter the lobby of the Library (underneath the clock tower). The Archives is to your left in the lobby, before you enter the rotunda.

Using Photos

The Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives is the world’s foremost repository of materials relating to Louis Armstrong. For many years, we have been the first place for publishers and broadcasters to acquire Armstrong photos (we hold over 15,000). We welcome proposals for publication, broadcast, exhibit, or other use of photos in our Collections.

There are four steps to this process:

  1. Select your photo(s) by either searching either the Online Catalog, or by visiting us in person for on-site research. (You may also select any photo on our entire website.) If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or are not able to travel to us, we can make a suggestion based on your description.
  2. Submit your information and details about your project through our Contact page, using the Research Collections topic in the dropdown menu.
  3. Within ten business days (though probably sooner) after you submit your inquiry, we will email an agreement to you, prepared according to the information you submitted via email. Sign the agreement and send it back to us together with the fee payment.
  4. After we receive the signed agreement and payment, we will email instructions on how to download your photo(s) (typically a high resolution TIFF file, scanned at 300 dpi).