Dive into Research at Amistad
Welcome to the Amistad Research Center! Plan your visit to explore a trove of materials that celebrate and preserve America’s racial and ethnic history and culture.
Scheduling Your Visit
- Appointments: Contact us by email to ensure availability. To schedule your research appointment, call the reference desk (504-862-3217) or email us at reference@amistadresearchcenter.org.
- Research Hours (by appointment): 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
- Our closure dates for 2024/2025 are as follows:
- December 21, 2024 - January 5, 2025
- January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- February 21: 3pm closure (Mardi Gras)
- February 22: Mardi Gras
- February 26-28: 3pm closure (Mardi Gras)
- March 1: Mardi Gras
- March 3-4: Mardi Gras
- April 18: Good Friday
- May 26: Memorial Day
- June 19: Juneteenth
- July 4: Independence Day
- September 1: Labor Day
- November 26-28: Thanksgiving
- December 20 - January 4, 2026
- On-Site Experience: Expect a welcoming environment with access to our extensive collections and expert staff assistance.
Research Support
Services
On-site tools: We use computers, scanners and photocopiers to provide you with research copies of our archival material.
Remote Support: Utilize our digital collections and remote research assistance via email or phone.
Expert Guidance: Our staff is available to help with research queries and navigating our archives.
Research FAQs
General Questions
Our collection includes primary source materials like personal papers, unpublished documents, and historical records, alongside published works such as books, articles, and newspapers. We specialize in the history of African Americans, ethnic history, culture, and race relations in the United States.
We are actively digitizing our collection, but not everything is accessible online yet. You can explore finding aids and descriptions of collections through our website.
Using the Amistad Research Center for Research
We recommend following our 3-Step Guide to Searching the Amistad Research Center's Collection, which outlines using the Archives and Manuscripts Finding Aid Database for primary sources and Tulane University's Library Search for published works.
Yes, appointments are encouraged. Some restrictions on access to materials may exist, so we recommend contacting the Research Services Department to discuss your research needs and potentially schedule a visit.
Unfortunately, borrowing is not available due to preservation concerns.
Independent Archives
Independent archives are not affiliated with a university or government institution. They are typically non-profit organizations that rely on donations and grants to maintain their collections and provide access to researchers.
Independent archives often focus on specific historical topics or communities, offering a deeper and more specialized collection than larger institutions.