Sterling Memorial Library
Location
Physical location is 120 High Street.
Located in the heart of today's Central Campus, the Sterling Memorial Library is one of Yale's most prominent buildings, as well as being the largest of all the Yale libraries. Completed in 1930, it was designed by architect James Gamble Rogers (Yale Class of 1889) and later named for its benefactor, John William Sterling (Yale Class of 1864). It currently houses more than 2.5 million on 16 floors of book stacks. It was built in the Collegiate Gothic style, resembling a European Gothic cathedral, with its 60-foot ceiling, cloisters, clerestory windows, side chapels, and a circulation desk altar. The stained glass windows throughout the building, 3,300 in all, were designed by artist G. Owen Bonawit. SML houses the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, added in 1998, as well as numerous reading rooms and departments.
What's Available:
Hours
| Location | Phone | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Babylonian Collection | Rooms 318 - 327 | 203-432-1837 | agnete.lassen@yale.edu |
| Benjamin Franklin Collection & Papers | Rooms 230 - 232 | 203-432-1814 | amy.jacaruso@yale.edu |
| Boswell Editions | Rooms 330 - 331A | 203-432-1864 | bosedit@yale.edu |
Accessibility
An accessible entrance faces Cross Campus. Please ring doorbell for assistance. An elevator is located straight back from the main entrance. Men's and women's accessible bathrooms are on the ground floor in the Music Library and downstairs in the Wright Reading Room.
Access
A valid Yale ID with activated swipe access is required for entry.
Manuscripts & Archives is open, by appointment only, with the same restrictions and requirements.
Directions
From the New Haven Green or Phelps Gate on Old Campus, take College Street north to Elm Street. Make a left onto Elm Street. Go past Hopper College and Berkeley College (on your right). At High Street, turn right and follow the cement pathway. The Women's Table sculpture on your right and Sterling Memorial Library will be to the left.