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Jean Outland Chrysler Library
245 West Olney Road
Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1587
(757) 965-2035

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The Library is open Wednesday – Friday 10-4:45. Wednesday evening hours are available by appointment. For more information, please call (757) 965-2035 or e-mail lchristiansen@chrysler.org.

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Resources

With a collection of 80,000 volumes, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most important art libraries in the South. Information covering the entire history of art, with special emphasis on material relevant to the Chrysler Museum of Art's own collection, is integral to the holdings. Exhibition catalogues from more than 400 art museums world wide, extensive vertical files on artists and art-related topics, subscriptions to several hundred art-related journals, and auction catalogues from all major auction houses contribute to the Library's unique resources.

Visitors to the Library reading room will find a reference librarian and extensive reference sources. The online library catalogue enables users to browse titles in the closed stacks, and materials are retrieved by the Library staff for relaxed reading. Since the Library is noncirculating, photocopying is permitted.

The archives are a rich source of local history including Mark Twain's original typescript of a speech he delivered at the Jamestown Tricentennial Exposition of 1907 and a collection of papers from the Moses Myers family that provide unique insights into the life of an important Tidewater merchant during the nation's early history.

The fast-growing A. Kempton d'Ossche Art Video Collection covers a variety of artists and art topics and is used as a training tool by the Museum's Education Department and to augment the Museum's exhibitions. Videos may be viewed in the Library and Museum members may check out tapes for up to one week.

Support the Library

The Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library support and promote the Library through engaging programs. This Chrysler Affiliate Group also raises funds for special Library projects. Learn more about the Friends of the Library.

History

The Library is named in honor of Jean Outland Chrysler, wife of the late Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., who played a leading role in the its formation and expansion. The collection includes the original holdings of the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, which became the Chrysler Museum of Art in 1971 when its namesake's collection came to Norfolk. In 1977, the library of the London art dealer M. Knoedler & Co. Ltd. was purchased, adding major art reference books and extremely rare annotated sales catalogues to the growing collection.