Winter Weather Notice:  Unscheduled, weather-related closures will be posted at fdrlibrary.org, on social media, and at the Library’s weather announcement telephone line: 845-486-7777, by 8:00 AM. For delayed openings, please note that the research room opens 30 minutes later than the Museum and Visitor Center. 

Archival Research Appointments

The FDR Library’s research room in Hyde Park, NY is open by appointment only. To request an appointment for an in-person visit, or to request support for distance research and archival reproductions, please write to archives.fdr@nara.gov. Please include a specific visit date or date range with your request. 

Research room hours are 9:00-4:00, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. There is no fee to conduct research in person. We ask for ten days' notice prior to your appointment so the archivists can provide reference consultations remotely and pull/prepare archival materials for your use. As time permits, additional materials may be pulled on the day of the visit, subject to availability.

Appointments are for one person only. Please tell us if you plan to visit with a partner or assistant, as that person will need a separate appointment and registration. 

National Archives research rooms are closed or will close early on days listed below. More information on federal holidays and research room closings can be found here. 

Use the Courtyard Entrance of the Historic Library Building

On the day of your research appointment, please bypass the Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center to enter the lobby of the Museum directly, via the courtyard entrance shown below.  Please check in with the security guard stationed at the welcome counter. There you will receive a research pass and be directed toward the archival research room. The archivist on duty at the reference desk will then assist you with a short registration process and provide further orientation.

Conducting Research

All visiting researchers must register using a government-issued photo ID and will receive an FDR Library researcher identification card for use during the visit. Prior to your visit, please print and fill out the National Archives Researcher Application linked below. Bring this signed form with you to the research room on the date of your appointment. There is no need to submit the form by email in advance.

Archival reference staff will work with every researcher to identify historical materials and facilitate access through pull and refile from closed, onsite archival storage. Reference staff remain available to assist with information needs, and to both instruct and supervise researchers on best practices for handling and preservation of archival material. All researchers must adhere to certain security measures so these materials will be preserved for future generations to access.

There are four set pull times to request archival materials. These are 9:15 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, & 2:45 pm.

We encourage researchers to bring a digital camera to photograph historical materials. This means of reproduction is gentlest on the documents and free of charge for the researcher.