In our library you'll find the only collection of its kind in the US, offering German-language books and media that inform about current trends and contemporary themes from Germany.
Library closed
Due to problems with our heating system, the library will remain closed until further notice. Items may be returned to our 4th floor offices during regular business hours.
Our library is open to the public and the use of books and media are free of charge. Membership is required for borrowing privileges. Library members may register for a personalized account in order to renew borrowed media via the Online Catalog.
The eLibrary is the free, virtual library of the Goethe-Institut. Once you've registered, this service allows you to borrow digital media -- such as ebooks, audio and video files, and electronic newspapers and magazines -- for a predetermined period of time, by downloading them either directly onto your device or via app.
To apply for a new library membership, please enter your name, date of birth, telephone number and email address. If you already signed up for a meinGoethe account (for a class or for the eLibrary), please be sure to use that same email address. You will receive an automated email, asking you to verify your email address. To complete the membership process, please bring proof of identification to our library within the next 14 days. A staff member will then activate your membership and provide you with a library card. Should you not make it to the library within 14 days, your temporary membership will be automatically deleted. If you are outside of NYC, please contact us library-newyork@goethe.de.
In 2010, the Goethe-Institut New York received a generous donation in memory of Frederick and Grace Gutekunst. A prize was created to identify outstanding young translators of German literature into English and assist them in establishing contact with the translation and publishing communities.
The annual Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize is awarded each summer to honor an outstanding literary translation from German into English published in the USA the previous year. The translator of the winning translation receives $10,000.
The Goethe-Institut’s translation grant program supports non-German publishers in publishing German-language literature, with the aim of making works accessible to non-German speaking readers.
