What is the name of the Met's research library?

The Met’s research library is the Thomas J. Watson Library.

The Thomas J. Watson Library is the central research library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Located in The Met Fifth Avenue, it supports museum staff, scholars, and other registered researchers with extensive resources on art history, museum studies, architecture, archaeology, and related fields.

The library was established in 1965 and named for Thomas J. Watson, who served as IBM’s chairman and chief executive from 1951 to 1956. Watson supported the construction and development of the library, endowed a book-purchasing fund, and helped finance early library-automation work. Its holdings include monographs, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, auction catalogues, rare books, manuscripts, and digital resources.

The Watson Library is not the same as the Nolen Library. Nolen is a smaller, open-shelf resource intended primarily for the general public, including children and teachers. The Watson Library is a closed-shelf, non-circulating research collection: visitors may consult materials in its reading room, but the public generally cannot borrow its books. The Frick and Morgan libraries are separate New York research institutions.