Built expressly to preserve the heritage of motor racing, the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen is a 5,000 square-foot facility that is both a research library and an archive.  The research facility is available to all interested persons for both serious scholarship and pure pleasure. The archive is intended to serve as a safe repository for primary documents related to the history and heritage of worldwide motorsport.

The International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen is neither an austere library or a hands-off museum. Instead, it is a comfortable place to experience the spirit and will of the people who have shaped the sport.

Facility features and collections:

Supervised reading room
Film and print room
Exhibit cases and gallery space
Secure archival room for rarest items
Handicapped accessibility
A growing collection of more than 2,500 rare and reference books
Manuscript collections
Film and video collections
Numerous full-run periodicals

Public and technical services:

Reference and research by trained staff and affiliated subject specialists
Preservation of materials by modern archival standards, including acid-free storage
Meeting space for motorsport, cultural and civic organizations
Tours, receptions, art shows, and lectures
Public-access computers for online research

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learn more about our collections
What do famous race car drivers have to say about the Research Center?