Library
Founded in 1882 and originally named the Reading Room of the Art Association of Montreal, the MMFA Library is the oldest of its kind in Canada and one of its largest.
The Library’s collection has grown over the years thanks to generous donors, selective annual purchases and an exchange program established with other museums throughout the world.
Roles
Preserving and enhancing:
- Specialized art monographs
- Rare books
- Serial publications
- Auction catalogues
- Documentation files on Canadian artists
- Documentation files on designers
- Documentation files on Canadian Institutions
The collection
The Library’s holdings include a collection of works covering the following fields:
- Mediterranean archaeology
- World Cultures (Asian, Pre-Columbian, Islamic, African, Oceanic art, etc.)
- Western art
- Quebec and Canadian art
- Indigenous art
- International contemporary art
- Decorative arts and design
- Graphic arts
- Photography
Documentation files on Canadian artists are listed in the Artists in Canada database, which can be accessed free of charge through the Government of Canada.
Services
Please note that the Museum Library is not open to the public but does offer reference services. Please send your requests by mail or email. You will receive a response within two weeks.
Service fees for photocopies may apply.
Interlibrary loans
The Library lends materials to other libraries only under certain conditions. Some types of documents cannot be loaned under any circumstances. All loaned documents must be consulted on site at the borrowing library.
- Document loans: $20 per document
- Photocopies: $20 for up to 20 pages + $0.25 for each additional page
For more information
Phone: 514-285-1600, ext. 160
[biblio@mbamtl.org](mailto:biblio@mbamtl.org
Mailing address
**Library
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts **
2189 Bishop Street
Montreal, Quebec H3G 2E8
The Archives and Library section on this site is funded by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications as part of the implementation of Measure 41 of Quebec’s Plan culturel numérique and by the Ville de Montréal under the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal.
The Documentary Resources section on this site is funded by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec as part of the implementation of Measure 41 of and by the Ville de Montréal under the Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal.
