The Richardson Memorial Library and Museum Archives retain resources that document the Museum’s history, enrich its identity, and inform its collections and programs. Notable holdings chronicle the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the Museum’s art collections and exhibitions, and include nearly 46,000 auction catalogs.
Richardson Memorial Library
Library holdings mirror the Museum’s encyclopedic art collection. The Richardson Memorial Library preserves and provides access to an expansive collection of books, journals, and auction catalogs, as well as a number of important research databases. The latter include Ancestry Library Edition, Anthropology Plus, JSTOR, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. For a full list of the Library’s electronic resources, see A-Z Databases To consult the Library’s Research Guides, see LibGuides.
Contact the Library
The Library is open to the public Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 am–4:30 pm.
Library staff also respond to reference inquiries received by telephone and email.
Location: Level 3, South Building
314.655.5252 | librarystaff@slam.org
Museum Archives
The Museum Archives houses historical records that document the Saint Louis Art Museum’s campus, its events, exhibitions, and programs. Holdings chronicle the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and Cass Gilbert’s Palace of Fine Arts, the Museum’s administration and art collection, public engagement and exhibitions.
For an overview of archival holdings and museum history resources, see the Museum Archives LibGuide. To explore finding aids to the institutional records and collections of the Museum Archives, consult ArchivesSpace.
Contact the Archives
The Archives is open by appointment Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 am–4:30 pm.
One week’s notice is recommended for appointments.
Archives staff also respond to reference inquiries received by telephone and email.
Location: Level 3, South Building
314.655.5452 | jenna.stout@slam.org
St. Louis Artists Files
The Library collects and provides access to information about artists in the St. Louis area. The information is kept in Artists Files which are available to the public for research. The files may contain newspaper clippings, exhibition announcements, or other biographical data. A complete list of the St. Louis Artists Files held by the Library is available via the library’s catalog.
Appraisals
The Museum does not appraise works of art. To find a qualified appraiser, contact the American Society of Appraisers, 800.272.8258, www.appraisers.org; the Appraisers Association of America, 212.889.5404, www.appraisersassoc.org; or the International Society of Appraisers, 312.981.6778, www.isa-appraisers.org.
Fine Art Conservation
To find a conservator, consult the American Institute of Conservation’s Guide to Hiring a Conservation Professional https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator/hiring-a-conservation-professional.
The nearest regional conservation facility to greater St. Louis is the Ford Conservation Center https://history.nebraska.gov/conservation-center/.