We are saddened to hear about the New York Public Library’s plans to limit in-person access to the Picture Collection and to eliminate open browsing of the Collection’s folders. As artists, educators, collectors, critics and publishers, many in our community have been avid users of the Picture Collection for several decades.

Over the years, we have used it to enhance our creative practice and introduce our students from grade schools, universities, and art schools to visual research and literacy. It is an invaluable research tool for young creative people and professionals alike, that teaches and surprises all of us as we undertake our projects.

Unlike online searches, which often require more preparation, the Picture Collection allows for discovery and serendipitous visual connections for any and all kinds of users. It is not a collection that functions under the mandate that “users … be more prepared and less spontaneous.” In fact, its strength is in the ability to walk in, ask a librarian questions and then be directed to a folder that may or may not have what you are looking for. By requiring appointments and thus restricting access, the Library is sending a bold message that only certain types of researchers are allowed to engage with, handle, or touch the collection at all. Its very essence is devalued. A much-needed “hands-on” approach to image research will not work once the folders in the Picture Collection are no longer openly browsable. The advantages of browsing and finding something you didn’t know you were looking for are gone.

As a unique collection built over a century—in a public library, no less—it is a valuable resource that must remain equally accessible to all patrons, instead of limiting access to a privileged few. To be given the agency to browse, improvise, and touch while conducting visual research is a cornerstone of a creative practice.

The Picture Collection is one of New York’s jewels, and we urge you to reconsider the plans to limit in-person access and service of the collection to the greater community. Perhaps it could move back to the Mid-Manhattan building or another branch?