Our reading room is open to all who are interested in using our research materials on the history of physics and allied sciences. While we welcome the public, we do not have amenities such as copiers, public use computers, or general interest books. Researchers interested in using archival collections or rare books are encouraged to make an appointment.
Reach out to us at nbl@aip.org with any questions.
Make an appointment with the Niels Bohr Library & Archives. Walk-ins are welcome on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but appointments guarantee a space in our reading room. Appointments must be made at least 7 days in advance. Please indicate planned arrival and departure times if they differ from our standard hours of 10am-4pm.
Fill out our researcher registration form if you haven’t visited the Library in the last 12 months, have a new research project, and/or need to update your contact information.
Request items from the collections before your visit. Limit to up to 3 collections before visit. If you aren’t sure what you need to request our staff can help you narrow it down and request materials during your visit.
Reading Room Hours
Tuesdays and Thursdays
10am - 4pm
Appointments suggested, walk-ins welcome
Mondays and Wednesdays
10am - 4pm
Appointments required
Fridays
Email assistance available, reading room open by special request
Location
3rd floor, American Center for Physics
One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740
Phone: (301) 209-3177
Fax: (301) 209-0882
nbl@aip.org
Contact
Additional Visiting Information
Transportation
If coming by Metro, please be aware that there is construction along River Road. There is still pedestrian access to our building but it is sometimes redirected. Visitors may also use the University of Maryland 104 Shuttle Bus.
Amenities
There are no options for purchasing food in the building, nor are there walkable options nearby. Food delivery services deliver to the building and there are public transportation options to get to restaurants and grocery stores. There are tables, chairs, microwaves, water and ice, and coffee/tea inside the building, as well as outdoor seating. Please plan accordingly.
Accessibility
We strive to make our collections and materials accessible to all of our visitors. Our reading room is accessible via elevator, and our book stacks are accessible via elevator and staff assistance. Staff is available to assist researchers in locating and pulling library & archival materials from all collection areas.
For more information or if you have any questions regarding the accessibility of our reading room, we encourage you to contact us using the contact information found on the left side of this page.
Reading Room Policies
- No eating or drinking within the reading room, though you can bring food and drink and consume it in the building’s cafeteria on the ground floor.
- Backpacks and other bags must be left behind the reference desk or in the coat closet
- All materials must remain in the reading room
- Do not fold, re-arrange, or disturb the physical state of archival items; ask for out cards if needed
- Only use pencil when working with archival materials
- Digital photography is permitted. Printing and copying services are unavailable.
- Our book collections are open stacks with the exception of special collections materials, which require an item request form .
- Visitors must follow AIP’s Code of Conduct.
Items that can be taken to researcher desks |
Items that CANNOT be taken to researcher desks |
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These items may be stored at the reference desk |
From the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives: Historical Images from the Niels Bohr Library & Archives Reading Room
Portrait of Joan Warnow-Blewett, former archivist at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives and Associate Director for the Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics.
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection
Nancy Roman at the American Institute of Physics in the Niels Bohr Library
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives
Robert Oppenheimer speaking at the Niels Bohr Library Dedication in New York
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection
Visitors to the Niels Bohr Library watch Spencer Weart (seated) demonstrate the rapid retrieval of information on collections of physicists from the RLIN online database. L-R: John Wheeler, John Toll, Roland Schmitt, Rosa Segrè, Marc Brodsky, Kenneth Ford, William Koch.
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives
Spencer Weart (far right corner) gives a tour of the Niels Bohr Library. In the foreground are L-R: Virginia Trimble; Robert Resnick. In the background are L-R: Mark McDermott; Charles Duke; Frank K. Edmunston. In the far background is: Joseph Anderson at the Niels Bohr Library 40th Anniversary, 2002.
Photograph by Malcolm Tarlton, courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives