Announcement

To our visitors, Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Library & Archives are only open by appointment. Please fill out this form to make an appointment.

The Centro Library and Archives is a treasured place where researchers, academics, teachers, students, genealogists, filmmakers, and the community at large find primary (historical documents) and secondary sources about the history and culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora. The Digital Collections provide access to photographs, documents, artifacts, art, maps, oral histories, moving image and audio clips, and other digitized or born digital material pertaining to stateside Puerto Ricans.

Library & Archives

Library

Centro Library provides access to over 14,000 books, 2,550 dissertations and masters theses, over 500 titles of historical newspapers and periodicals on 3,700 reels of microfilm, 600 audio recordings, 514 videos and DVD’s containing information by and about Puerto Ricans, and 21.3 linear feet of Vertical Files encompassing a variety of subjects.

  • Research Assistance & Orientations
  • Film & Video Lending
  • Historical Newspapers & Journals

Explore Library Resources

Library Catalog

With Hunter College OneSearch you can find books, articles, and other materials in the Centro collection. The advanced search functions allow you to explore subjects and authors and discover the many resources available in our research collection.

View Collection

Refworks

Our Refworks lists offer bibliographic information for researchers, students, and the general public. This resource is available to all users, but links to full-text databases are only available on-site or with a CUNY login.

View Collection

Historical Journals and Periodicals

Check out our comprehensive collection of rare historical newspapers and journals from Puerto Rico and the United States. Please note that many of these titles are extremely rare and on occasions, only a single issue has been preserved.

View Collection

Archives

The Centro Archives are the only archival repository in the United States committed to documenting the Puerto Rican communities living in the United States. Our archives have over 300 collections of personal papers from prominent Puerto Rican artists, elected officials, social activists, and writers. We also have the record of many community-based organizations. There is an extraordinary amount of information regarding Puerto Rican migrants and the government institutions established to support them.

  • Special Collections
  • Digital Collections
  • Archival Microfilm Collections

Explore Archive Collections

Archival Collections

CENTRO Collections from the 1890s to the present, document Puerto Rican communities in the Northeast, Midwest, Florida, California, and Hawaii. Our largest collection is from the Offices of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States

View Collection

Digital Collections

CENTRO Digital Collections is an ever-growing resource of material digitized from the Archive's holdings. It provides access to over 32,000 photographs, documents, artifacts, art, maps, oral histories, moving images, audio clips, and other material pertaining to the Puerto Rican diaspora.

View Collection

Archive Microfilm Collections

CENTRO Microfilm Collections span from the 18th to the 20th century and are organized into two groups: Part I: Microfilms from Other Archives Part II: Centro Archives Holdings. Follow the links to examine how extensive this important microfilm collection is.

View Collection

Services

Centro Library provides access to over 14,000 books, 2,550 dissertations and masters theses, over 500 titles of historical newspapers and periodicals on 3,700 reels of microfilm, 600 audio recordings, 514 videos and DVD’s containing information by and about Puerto Ricans, and 21.3 linear feet of Vertical Files encompassing a variety of subjects.

Location and Hours

2180 3rd Ave, 1st Floor, Rm. 120 New York, NY 10035

Hours: Monday – Friday from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Contact us at: centro.library@hunter.cuny.edu or call us: 212-396-7874