About Us

The Institute Library is New Haven’s oldest independent circulating library and one of the last remaining membership libraries in North America. Founded in 1826 with the purpose of “mutual assistance in the attainment of useful knowledge,” the library provides quiet reading areas, a large circulating collection of up-to-date literature, and rich opportunities to engage with members and the surrounding neighborhoods of downtown New Haven.

The Institute Library
847 Chapel Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06510
(203) 562-4045
Tues. through Fri. 10-6 / Sat. 10-2

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Mission Statement

The Institute Library’s mission is to fulfill its historical purpose of “mutual assistance in the attainment of useful knowledge” for its members and the New Haven community at large through literature, civil discourse, and the arts.

(Adapted from original 1827 constitution.)

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Vision

Our vision is the perpetuation of the modern community library as a physical place, social space, and democratic resource.