Planning Your Research Visit

Information for researchers

Manage requests (Aeon)

Planning your research visit

Reproduction policies

Copyright and permissions

Appraisals

Guide to Missions and World Christianity

Hours

The Divinity Library is located within Yale Divinity School. During the regular semester, the Divinity Library is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 8:15 am - 6 pm; Friday - Saturday, 8:15 am - 4:45 pm; and Sunday, 2 - 6 pm. A valid Yale ID with activated swipe access is required for entry after 6 pm Sunday - Thursday. During the summer and semester breaks, the Library is open weekdays from 8:30 am - 4:50 pm. The Special Collections reading room is open only weekdays, 9:00 am - noon and 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm. See the hours page for information about holiday and break closings.

Most doors into the Divinity School building require Yale ID card-swipe access, which is generally restricted to affiliates of the Divinity School. The main entrance, temporarily located near the back of the Divinity School along the northern driveway, is open for anyone without card-swipe access during all hours when the Special Collections reading room is open.

Access policies

The Yale Divinity Library, as part of the Yale University Library system, has been developed primarily as a working and research collection for the faculty, students, and staff of Yale University. Those not affiliated with the University are expected to investigate resources in libraries normally available to them before turning to the Yale University Library.

Access to the Divinity Library's Special Collections is normally granted to all qualified undergraduates, graduate students, faculty members, independent scholars, and authors from both within and outside Yale. Family members of those who have donated their personal papers are welcome to use family papers. Most of our collections are shelved offsite and must be retrieved for use. Yale affiliates with active NetIDs may request material through their Yale Special Collections accounts and access material during our open hours. Please see the Special Collections website for more information.

Library access and/or borrowing privileges may be revoked for violation of library policies and at the discretion of the Divinity Librarian.

Directions and parking

The Divinity Library is located within the Divinity School building, at 409 Prospect Street, slightly less than one mile from central campus. The main entrance to the Divinity School, marked by a portico, is along the north driveway up from Prospect Street, past the stairs that lead into the quadrangle. That entrance is currently under construction and is closed, replaced by a door a few meters further along the driveway. You can enter the Divinity School. Once inside the main entrance of the Divinity School, follow signs to the library entrance.

The Yale Shuttle Blue Line stops right at the Divinity School. The Red Line stop is across the street near Division Street. Go to Shuttle Services for more information on the Yale Shuttle. You can also see the current location of the shuttle by going to Yale Shuttle Vehicle Locator.

Driving directions from outside New Haven:

From I-91: Take Exit 6, Willow Street. Turn right on Willow and follow to its end. Turn right on Whitney Avenue and immediately left on Canner Street. Proceed to the top of the hill. Turn left on Prospect Street. The Divinity School campus is located about 1/2 block up the street, on the left.

From Wilbur Cross Parkway (Rt. 15): Take Exit 61 and go south on Whitney Avenue for several miles. Turn right on Canner Street. Proceed to the top of the hill. Turn left on Prospect Street. The Divinity School campus is located about 1/2 block up the street, on the left.

Parking: Free on-street parking is available on Canner Street, on Prospect Street north of Division Street, and on Division Street. (Watch signs for occasional parking bans.) Yale Parking Office's Visitor Parking website contains information about parking in Yale lots.

Link to a map showing how to reach the Divinity School.

Accommodations

In addition to the accommodations listed on the Yale Visitor Center website, see Visit New Haven.

Tips for Using the Library

The Yale Divinity Library has open stacks. More than half of the Divinity Library's print volumes, as well as the majority of its archival collections, are shelved off-site at the Yale University Library Shelving Facility (LSF). These materials, as well as circulating items held at other Yale libraries, can be retrieved for use in the Divinity Library. It is therefore important that researchers begin their searches for material online, using the Orbis catalog and Archives at Yale, rather than relying on on-site browsing.

In Orbis, use the "Request recall or delivery" link to initiate retrieval of items from LSF or other Yale Libraries. A valid Yale NetID or Visitor Card is required to place a request. If you do not have a valid ID, ask the Circulation Manager or email the library at divinity.library@yale.edu for assistance. Items marked "non-circulating" may be requested but must be used in the library's Special Collections reading room. Individuals without retrieval privileges may ask the Special Collection staff to retrieve and hold materials for use.

Researchers who are coming to New Haven for a brief period of time are urged to submit requests for books and archival resources beforehand, to allow time for the materials to be paged to the Divinity Library. As a general rule, it will take two business days for materials to be paged from the Library Shelving Facility or from other libraries on campus. Feel free to submit reference inquiries to the Divinity Library email address (divinity.library@yale.edu ) as well; the Divinity Library staff may be able to recommend additional resources for your research.