Research

"The availability of the collections and the interaction with our curatorial and archival staff enable the artist, scholar, and public to utilize the museum in an ongoing effort to better understand the meaning of the Jewish heritage."  
Seymour Fromer, Magnes co-founder and director emeritus, 1987

Accessing the Collection

On site

The collections are available via the visible storage and in the Florence Helzel Collection Study room at the main Magnes facility at 2121 Allston Wayby appointment.

The Western Jewish Americana collections and the rare books are available at The Bancroft Library on the UC Berkeley campus.

Online

magnes.org—The Magnes website contains extensive resources including images, audio, video, digital programs and selected access to many of the collections.

magnesalm.org—The Magnes collection database is highly searchable andincludes detailed descriptions and images of thousands of items in the collection.

oskicat.berkeley.edu—UC Berkeley’s Library catalog includes extensiverecords of the Western Jewish Americana archives and of other Jewish collections on campus.

magnes.org/digital-programs—Interactive online projects.

Flickr.com/magnesmuseum- Browse collection images.

Teaching

The resources of The Magnes, including collection access and meeting rooms, are available by request. The curators of The Magnes teach classes in a variety of disciplines on the UC Berkeley campus.