mckim
A Century of Service at the Metropolitan
One hundred years ago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened the doors of its library's new home to art historians, students, and the general public. The Museum's founders understood the essential role of a library in fulfilling the institution's mission. In fact, the original 1870 New York State charter specifically committed the new institution to "establishing and maintaining . . . a Museum and library of art." (See the Now at the Met blog post, "Today in Met History: April 13" for more about the Museum's charter.) The library was formally established in 1880, and today it shares the Museum's distinction of being among the world’s greatest treasuries for the study of the arts of many cultures.
