The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives comprise one of the largest and oldest art museum libraries in the country. The collection, established in 1823 has been developed to encourage understanding of the Museum's collections and history. Paralleling the Museum's encyclopedic collections, the Museum Libraries and Archives are particularly strong in the arts of the Americas (North and South), Africa, Asia, Ancient Egypt and Islam. The Wilbour Library of Egyptology is one of the world's most comprehensive research libraries for the study of ancient Egypt.
The Museum of Modern Art Library is a comprehensive collection devoted to modern and contemporary art. The noncirculating collection documents painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, photography, architecture, design, performance, video, film, and emerging art forms from 1880 to the present. Primary source collections are held by the Museum Archives. Collection highlights include works on Dada and Surrealism, The Museum of Modern Art/Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection, and the Political Art Documentation and Distribution (PAD/D) Archive.