Library
 New York

GINY Library © Daniel Albanese

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.

Update

Starting June 1, the library will reopen for limited service on Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 1-5pm.

Patrons are welcome to browse the library, borrow & return items, and use the internet. We ask that visitors wear a mask, register at the reception, practice social distancing and keep their stay in the library to under 30 minutes.

What we offer

Lending Service

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.

eLibrary

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.

Registration for Library Membership - Now Online

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.

Information Service

We're here to answer your questions relating to German language and culture.

Translation Prizes

Gutekunst FoG

Gutekunst Prize of the Friends of Goethe New York

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.

Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize

Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize

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.

Translation Grant Program

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.