MFA Library: William Morris Hunt Memorial Library: Visiting the Library

Due COVID-19 health and safety concerns, we regret that library services are limited to the MFA staff until further notice.

E-mail and phone reference inquiries received after 1/31/2021 will not be monitored.

We apologize for the inconvenience and we will resume service as soon as we can.

Please check back for updates.

For staff access and reference services, please visit the MFA Staff Access tab.

The William Morris Hunt Memorial Library is a closed stacks non-circulating library. Materials may only be used in the Reading Room located in the library. Requests for materials located off-site and in the Special Collections require a minimum of 48 hours notice. Consult the Special Collections page for more detailed information. Registration with a photo ID is required for visitors. Please review the Reading Room policies before arrival.

The William Morris Hunt Memorial Library is currently located on the 2nd floor of Horticultural Hall at 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston MA 02115. Please click here for details.

Reading Room Use Policy

Visitors must complete a library application with name, date, and affiliation/school.
The collection is non-circulating and the stacks are closed to the public. Patrons must provide a call slip for each book to be retrieved from the stacks. A maximum of five books may be requested at one time.
Viewing books in Special Collections requires an appointment in advance and supervision by library staff.
Materials located in a curatorial department library may be requested at the time of your visit or in advance. Items from departmental libraries require 48 hours to be retrieved and will be kept at the reading room hold shelf for viewing. Due to institutional research needs, not all materials may be available.
The Library holds materials for a maximum of seven days unless special arrangements are made.
Visitors must obtain prior permission to photograph library materials.