The Donald M. Marquis Reading Room is a space dedicated to providing public access to the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s archival collections.
Hours
We are currently open by appointment only. You may schedule an appointment here. Or email us at: readingroom@crt.la.gov
Location
The Donald M. Marquis Reading Room is located on the second floor of the New Orleans Jazz Museum, which is housed in the former United States Mint building, at 400 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum is thrilled to offer its collection materials for on-site research. In order to preserve these holdings—many of which are one of a kind—for future generations, we ask that patrons observe these rules and regulations.
The Jazz Museum houses two archives on site: the New Orleans Jazz Club Collections and those of the Louisiana Historical Center. Both collections are open to the public through the Donald M. Marquis Reading Room. Researchers interested in viewing collection items do not have to pay admission to the museum. See the resources below for an idea of our holdings.
The New Orleans Jazz Club Collections chronicle the music and careers of the men and women who created, enhanced, and continue in the tradition of New Orleans jazz at the local, national, and international levels. It consists of instruments, pictorial sheet music, photographs, records, and tapes, ranging from Louis Armstrong's first cornet to a 1917 disc of the first jazz recording ever made.
The Louisiana Historical Center houses a wealth of primary- and secondary-source materials in a wide range of media. Its extensive holdings include French- and Spanish-colonial records, manuscripts, maps, sheet music, newspapers, books, scrapbooks, and microfilm.
Please read the Louisiana State Museum’s Conditions Governing Rights and Reproductions.
For a list of fees, click here.
After reading the documents above, please fill out an Application for Reproduction Permission and send it to ReadingRoom@crt.la.gov.
The Donald M. Marquis Reading Room staff is available to assist with research efforts and answer questions about holdings.
Christina Stebbins, assistant archivist
readingroom@crt.la.gov
504-568-3659
504-568-3660
504-568-6976