The American Philosophical Society (APS) completed renovations to Library Hall and reopened to researchers on February 28, 2022. According to the APS, service to researchers in the reading room has been expanded. Library Hall is open to all researchers who demonstrate a need to use the unique resources under the American Philosophical Society’s care.
Positioned within Philadelphia’s historic district, the American Philosophical Society was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743. The APS continues its founder’s mission to “promote useful knowledge.” The APS library’s collection of papers and manuscripts spans numerous disciplines and time periods, including Revolutionary War Papers, Indigenous papers that span the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, collections on the history of science, and papers on genetics and eugenics from the 1930s.
The APS Library is located at 105 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia. All visitors to the Reading Room are required to make an appointment through appointments@amphilsoc.org. The Reading Room is open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of holidays and occasional staff events. In addition, visitors are required to register upon arrival and abide by the APS’s rules and regulations.