The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center

The A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center, rededicated in memory of the former Commissioner of Baseball on July 26, 1998, can help you find answers to your baseball questions, large or small. Our vast collection of baseball books, magazines, newspaper clippings, and archival material is a rich source of information on baseball and related topics. Whether you want to know Lou Gehrig's lifetime batting average, determine the color of Babe Ruth's eyes, read the rule book of the All-American Girl's Professional Baseball League, or scan a file of baseball poetry, our staff is ready to help.

If you wish to ask a question of our staff, or have a quick look at a particular book or magazine article, please ask at the information desk. If you cannot make it to Cooperstown, we encourage you to email the Research Center with your baseball questions; write or FAX the Research Center using our printable research request form. Research and reference questions e-mailed to the Library will be answered in the order received, along with any such questions that are sent via U.S. Mail, phone, or FAX. Please allow at least 2 to 4 weeks for a response. Researchers coming to the Hall of Fame are urged to make appointments at least a week in advance.

Research Center Hours and Contact Info

9 AM EST to 5 PM EST, Monday - Friday

The Giamatti Research Center is closed on weekends and holidays, the week between Christmas and New Years Day, and for special events as may be required from time-to-time. Research facilities are not available to library patrons during the Annual Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, and days prior to the Hall of Fame Game Weekend and Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.

Those engaged in research projects are urged to make appointments at least one week in advance of their visit. To make an appointment, please call the reference desk at 607.547.0330 or 607.547.0335, between 9 AM and 5 PM EST. Researchers should confirm availability of the library prior to making travel arrangements.

Phone: (607) 547-0330 or (607) 547-0335
Fax: (607) 547-4094

Research Services and Fees

Research services include individualized assistance with projects, photocopying assistance, fact-checking services for authors and publishers, and compilation of trivia questions. Educational requests made by children of any age (up to and including high school) are always free, within reasonable staff limitations. Please note that research charges are $0.25 per photocopy exposure and $25.00 per research hour of assistance. A 50% surcharge is added to rush research requests. Payment may be made by cash (at the Research Center only), check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Please consult with staff before formulating your research plans and we will be happy to assist you in planning for the most efficient use of our collections.

Research Collections

The collections of the Research Center include:

• Literature
  Tens of thousands of volumes including biographies, histories, encyclopedias, directories, dictionaries, fiction, poetry, children's books, and foreign language books.
• Periodicals
  Complete runs of Baseball Magazine, Baseball Digest, Sports Illustrated, Sport, and many other baseball publications.
• Newspapers
  A complete run of The Sporting News, and extensive runs of the New York Clipper, Sporting Life, and other 19th and 20th century newspapers.
• Clipping Files
  Files on every man who ever played Major League Baseball, many Negro League players, women players, umpires, owners, executives, broadcasters, writers, scouts, and other baseball people. Among the hundreds of subject files are such diverse topics as baseball and politics, international baseball, major and minor league teams, awards, physics, Little League, and baseball tours.
• Baseball Guides
  Complete runs of the Spalding and Reach Guides, the Baseball Blue, Red and Green Books, and other annuals.
• Team Publications
  Extensive holdings of media guides, yearbooks, programs, scorecards, etc.
• Player Contract Cards
  A large collection of major and minor league player cards which trace the contractual history of almost ever player who ever signed a professional baseball contract from 1900 to today.
• Day-by-Day statistics
  A collection of baseball's official major league statistics. Box scores are available for nearly all major league games in history, and a limited number of minor league games.
• Archival Materials
  Special collections related to teams, owners, officials, and players, including the Doubleday papers, the Mills Commission papers, the Roger Angell collection, the Garry Herrmann papers, and the Landis papers.

Hall of Fame Photo Department

The National Baseball Hall of Fame Library contains over 500,000 images of players, teams, stadiums, events and miscellaneous subjects. The collection includes black and white prints, color prints, slides, transparencies, and negatives.

The staff at the Photograph Department is available to help you with your photo or research request(s). To access photos during your visit to the Hall of Fame, please make your request at the information desk of the A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center. If a research staff member is available, we will be happy to accommodate your request. If you cannot make it to Cooperstown, we encourage you to telephone the Photograph Department with your photo requests, or write or FAX the Photograph Department using our printable photo request form. Researchers coming to the Hall of Fame are urged to make appointments at least a week in advance.

Please note: the Hall of Fame does not have an online digital archive, but we can e-mail low resolution images for your reference. Photo Department Mailing Address:

Photograph Department
National Baseball Hall of Fame Library
25 Main Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326

Photo Department Phone: 607-547-0375 or 607-547-0370 Photograph Department FAX: 607-547-4094

Photograph Reproductions and Rates

Many of the photographs in our collection are available for reproduction. We will gladly send a limited selection of photocopies for your review. Please note that a $15.00 to $25.00 per hour research fee may be charged for extensive requests. All photograph reproduction rates are per image and are subject to change. A check, money order or credit card will be accepted for all orders. Prepayment or partial payment for orders may be required.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame Library does not convey any copyright or licensing rights to any image or photograph.

Rates for personal use of a photo (unmounted): 8×10 inches: $25.00; 11×14 inches: $45.00; 16×20 inches: $65.00

Please contact the Photograph Department for fee schedules related to commercial use of photos.

Photograph Collections

The collections of the Photograph Department include:

• Hall of Fame Inductees
  A comprehensive collection of images of Hall of Famers from Aaron to Yount. Action game shots, pitching, batting, group, family and miscellaneous photos are also included in files.
• Non-Hall of Fame Players
  This collection includes most any player, executive, owner, and other baseball related personality.
• Hall of Fame Day and Game
  An outstanding collection of photographs of Hall of Fame Day inductees, officials, festivities and exhibition games at Doubleday Field. The collection includes photographs from the first Hall of Fame Day in 1939 up to the present year.
• Team Photos
  A collection of Major, Minor, Negro, Women's, and Amateur league team photos.
• Stadiums
  Photographs of all major league baseball stadiums and many minor league parks from the past and present.
• Oversize Files
  This extensive collection of photos, 11×14 inches in size and larger, contains numerous original photographs dating back to the 1880s. These files contain: players, officials, managers, all-stars, teams, stadiums, Old-Timers, advertisements, cartoons, etc.
• Miscellaneous
  A uniquely diverse collection of photos ranging from spring training to the World Series, and depicting baseball advertisements, equipment, and other subjects from the game's history.

Recorded Media Department

The National Baseball Hall of Fame Library contains over 12,000 hours of moving image and sound recordings. The collection includes interviews, game highlights, television and radio broadcasts, animation, and music. Selections from the collection are featured daily in the Library's Bullpen Theater.

The staff of the Recorded Media Department is available to help you with your film, video, and/or recorded sound request(s). To access film, video, and/or recorded sound material during your visit to the Hall of Fame, please make your request at the information desk of the A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center. If a research staff member is available, we will be happy to accommodate your request. If you cannot make it to Cooperstown, we encourage you to telephone the Recorded Media Department with your requests, or write or FAX the Recorded Media Department. Researchers coming to the Hall of Fame are urged to make appointments at least a week in advance.

Footage Requests and Rates

Portions of the Recorded Media collection are available for use in film, television and radio productions. Please contact the department at 607-547-0314 for rates and restrictions.

Recorded Media Collections

• Fay Vincent Oral History Collection
  An extensive collection of video recordings featuring notable players, managers and executives produced by the former commissioner in an effort to preserve the stories of baseball history.
• Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
  Sound recordings, films, and broadcast videos featuring induction speeches by Hall of Fame members and footage of the festivities that surround this annual event.
• Game Broadcasts
  A wide variety of World Series and All-Star Game radio and television broadcasts from the 1930s to the present.
• Interviews and Oral Histories
  An outstanding collection of interviews of players and officials by sports writers, broadcasters and historians. Transcripts of portions of this collection are also available to researchers.
• Documentary Productions
  Films and videos that highlight teams, cities, players and leagues. Collectively they place baseball into a wider historical context.
• Bob Wolff Film Collection
  A collection of films and kinescopes featuring television broadcasts from the 1950s and 1960s. This collection includes rare interview footage from Bob Wolff's "Dugout Chatter" and "Inside Pitch" segments.
• This Week in Baseball
  A complete collection of broadcasts of this weekly television show presenting a visual history of baseball from 1977 to date.
• Music Collection
  Hundreds of baseball songs are contained in our recorded sound and sheet music collection.

The Recorded Media collection at the National Baseball Library has been acquired through the generosity of baseball fans, researchers, teams, and players. Donors are accorded special recognition and privileges. If you would like to help us document the National Pastime and preserve its heritage for future generations, please consider becoming a donor.

How You Can Help
The collection at the National Baseball Library has been acquired through the generosity of baseball fans, researchers, teams, and players. Donors are accorded special recognition and privileges. If you would like to help us document the National Pastime and preserve its heritage for future generations, please consider becoming a donor.