Research Centers
You can access resources on textiles and Washington history in the library and study centers at the museum downtown. Scholars, faculty and students can make appointments to research art and artifacts at the museum and at our collections center in northern Virginia.
Arthur D. Jenkins Library
This non-circulating research library features thousands of hard-to-find resources on global textiles and traditional dress.
Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center
This center is home to one of the world’s most significant textile study collections, consisting of nearly 4,000 textile fragments created around the globe.
Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies
The center houses a research collection of maps, illustrative prints, newspapers and ephemera relating to Washington, D.C., history, as well as a non-circulating library.
Avenir Foundation Conservation and Collections Resource Center
Our world-class facility provides storage, conservation and care for the museum and university collections.