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The Rakow Research Library
Collection Scope | Using the Library | Hours | Contact
Drawings for American Stained Glass Exhibition
May 17 - December 31, 2010
Window Design of Abstract Landscape with Longhorn Cattle and Plants, Peter Appleton, Ridgewood, NJ, 20th century.
Window Design of Kneeling Sir Galahad, Judson Studios, Los Angeles, CA, about 1909.
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The Juliette K. and Leonard S. Rakow Research Library of The Corning Museum of Glass is the world’s foremost library on the art and history of glass and glassmaking. Its mission is to acquire everything published on the subject of glass, in every format and in every language.
Scope of the Collection
The Library’s collection includes publications in more than 40 languages, and half of its books and periodicals are in languages other than English. These holdings range in date from a 12th-century manuscript to the latest biographies of contemporary glass artists. The collection contains approximately:
- 55,000 monographs
- 850 active periodical subscriptions
- 27,000 auction sale and trade catalogs
- 21,000 titles in microform
- 230,000 slides
- 2,600 video and DVD titles
- 3,500 linear feet of archival collections
- 3,000 miscellaneous ephemera files
- 100,000 digital files, including more than 100 virtual books
- Publications in more than 40 languages
- Several thousand drawings, prints, photographs, posters, and designs
The Library’s holdings also include personal and corporate archives and manuscripts, as well as sound recordings, postage stamps, calendars, and other glass-related resources.
Using the Library
Whether you wish to engage in extensive research or simply to learn more about an object you saw in the Museum’s galleries, our staff is ready to assist you. It is not necessary to make an appointment to use the Library, but if you have particular research interests, you are encouraged to notify the staff in advance of your visit so that relevant materials can be gathered and set aside for you.
The collection does not circulate. However, the Library is a member of the OCLC, an international bibliographic service, and microfiche copies of books on glass and photocopies of periodical articles can be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Researchers who wish to obtain these materials should contact their local library.
Reference questions can be sent to the Rakow Research Library via letter, telephone, fax, or e-mail. For in-depth research, a visit to the library is recommended. Click here to Ask a Librarian a question.
2010 Business Holidays Observed
- New Years Day - January 1
- Good Friday - April 2
- Memorial Day - May 31
- Independence Day - July 5
- Labor Day - September 6
- Veteran's Day - November 11
- Thanksgiving - November 25 - 26
- Christmas - December 22 - 27
Hours
Regular Hours
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sundays, May 30 - September 12,
except for business holidays (at right)
Juliette K. and Leonard S. Rakow Research Library
The Corning Museum of Glass
Five Museum Way
Corning, New York 14830-2253
USA
Telephone: 607.974.8649 | Fax: 607.974.8677 | E-mail (general inquiries): rakow@cmog.org