Photo by Andrew Garn, New York Transit Museum Collection.
About the Collections
As stewards and champions of the New York metropolitan region’s mass transportation history, the New York Transit Museum connects people, sparks curiosity, and inspires important conversations around the past, present, and future of cities and transportation.
The Museum has two Archive facilities, and our collections encompass over one million items. A core part of our mission is to present dynamic, accessible, and inclusive exhibitions and programs that tell stories of public transit and the people who make it possible. The Museum’s Archives support this work and offer opportunities for research and discovery to audiences everywhere.
We are open to researchers by appointment only. For more information, read the FAQs below or visit our Research page.
Featured Collections
The New York Transit Museum collects everything related to public transportation –– maps, photographs, drawings, tools, equipment, textiles, and even retired rolling stock in our vintage fleet.
Research FAQs
How do I ask a research question?
The best way to reach us is by emailing [email protected]. Due to high demand, staff members may not be able to return emails the same day. Please allow a few days for a reply!
How can I search your collections?
The Museum has a Digital Collections Catalog and a Finding Aids Portal. For access and additional information, please visit our Research page.
Are the Museum’s Archives open to the public? Can I walk in?
Appointments are required to visit the Archives. The New York Transit Museum has extensive collections spread across two archival storage facilities in Brooklyn, and we need time to plan and gather everything for your appointment. Requests for appointments must be submitted at least two weeks prior to your desired visit date.
How do I make a research appointment?
Please contact us at [email protected] with a description of your research goals and visit objectives.
A staff member will be in touch with suggested collections and relevant access policies. Appointments are not confirmed until scheduled by Museum Collections staff.
Can I borrow books or materials from your collections?
Our materials, regardless of format, are non-circulating. Everything must stay in the Archive.
I’m unable to visit the Museum’s Archive in-person. What are my options?
A good place to start is by searching the Museum’s Digital Collections Catalog, where over 28,000 photographs, posters, maps, and artifacts from our collections are currently accessible online. You may browse by selecting “Random Images,” searching by keyword, or conducting an “Advanced Search” of specific database fields.
You may also search our Finding Aids Portal, ArchivesSpace, to review descriptions of our archival collections. Finding aids are tools used to describe how collections are physically arranged and provide biographical or historical context. Often, box and folder inventories make requesting specific collections easier for both you and Museum Collections staff!
If you are unable to visit, we are also able to conduct research on your behalf through our Research Services offering. The first hour of research is complimentary, hourly fees apply thereafter. Please email [email protected] to get started.
Reproductions and Licensing FAQs
Do you license images from your collections?
Yes, the New York Transit Museum charges fees for the reproduction and use of items from its historical collections. Images to which the Museum holds copyright are subject to usage fees; reproduction fees apply to images in the public domain or to which the Museum does not hold the copyright. These fees help to defray the costs of preserving and cataloging our materials so as to ensure ongoing researcher access. For a copy of our fee schedule or to make a request, please email [email protected].
Can I reproduce an image I found on your website?
Low resolution, watermarked images of public domain works downloaded from our online catalog may be used for personal, nonprofit, or scholarly purposes without permission. Please include a caption with the correct title and the credit line: Courtesy of New York Transit Museum. If applicable, please also link to our catalog record.
You must obtain permission from the New York Transit Museum for all other uses, including print and online publications, documentaries and moving image works, exhibitions and displays, and advertisements. You must also pay any related licensing and reproduction fees. Please email [email protected] for more information.
For images of the Museum, including photos of our exhibits, vintage fleets, and programs, please email [email protected].
Can I reproduce drawings or blueprints?
Unfortunately, any drawings or schematics depicting a station in active service legally restrict the New York Transit Museum’s ability to provide access. However, the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) provides that any person has the right to request copies of specific MTA and related agency documents. You can submit a FOIL request through the MTA’s online portal.
After submitting a FOIL request, the MTA Marketing Department will be in touch upon determining access and next steps.
Can the New York Transit Museum clear rights for me?
Users of materials from the New York Transit Museum collections will be responsible for locating and identifying any underlying rights for publication.
Permission granted for the use of still or moving images or audio works applies only to the specific requests formally made and approved by the Archives. Any use beyond or outside of the original approved application is strictly prohibited. Permission for use is contingent upon signature and receipt of the usage contract prior to the publication’s release date and may be revoked in the event of failure to comply with the terms stated in the reproduction/license request form.
Do you license video clips?
Motion picture film and video masters are not available for reproduction unless by special permission of Museum Collections staff. Please submit a form or email [email protected].
Can I crop or edit what I receive from you?
Materials may not be cropped, retouched, colored, manipulated, incorporated into collages, or otherwise altered without explicit permission from Museum Collections staff.
Donation FAQs
I have an item I would like to donate to the museum. Can I drop it off?
Thank you! We are currently accepting donations for our archival collections. However, each item must first be carefully considered and evaluated by Museum Collections staff. If you have something you would like to donate, please send an email to [email protected], and include photos, as well as the significance of the object, its provenance, the date, dimensions. The more detailed, the better!
Once we are able to review your email, we may reach out and ask for the physical object to be in our temporary custody while we continue to evaluate the donation offer, but we ask that you refrain from giving us the object until we request it.
Unsolicited items, whether brought into the Museum or mailed, cannot be accepted without an initial inquiry.
Will the Museum purchase an item from me?
We are less likely to acquire an item when it is for sale, but you are welcome to reach out with your offer. Email [email protected] with photos, as well as the object’s provenance, date, dimensions, and price.
I offered to donate an item, but the Museum said it could not accept it. Why?
Each item the Museum acquires is examined in several different contexts: Does it fit our collecting policy? What is its potential for future exhibitions? Do we have the resources to properly store and care for it? Do we already have a representation of this object in our collections? While we are always grateful for your generosity, we are unfortunately not able to accept every donation offer.
Can you tell me the value of an object that I own?
The New York Transit Museum cannot appraise items for third parties. We suggest reaching out to a professional appraiser. See alternative ideas below:
Appraisers.org
Appraisers Association of America
International Society of Appraisers
Can I get a tax write-off for donating to the archive? How?
As the New York Transit Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit institution, all donations are tax deductible. Donors will receive confirmation of the donation at the time of their gift; this acts as your official record.
The IRS requires Form 8283 if the value of a noncash donation is more than $500. If the value exceeds $5,000, the IRS requires an official appraisal.
When will my item go on display?
We cannot guarantee that an item you donate to the Museum will be exhibited. Each item in our collections has immense value and is used in a variety of ways. Even if your donation does not appear in the Museum on display, rest assured, if we have accepted it, we are using it—whether that be for research, educational programs, or historical preservation.