Library Collection
The Archive
The Information Research Center Library holds more than 5,000 printed materials, including books, yearbooks, media guides, magazines and periodicals; the collection documents the history, players and venues of the sport. The collection continues to grow with both new publications and rare editions, which enhance any researcher’s experience. Please note: The IRC is not a lending library. Patrons are welcome to utilize printed materials while at the International Tennis Hall of Fame but cannot take materials off property.
The vast collection includes national and international tournament programs, ranging from early U.S. National Championship draw sheets to the programs for the current US, Australian, French, and Wimbledon Championships.
The library in the IRC has foreign materials in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Czech, Chinese, Serbian, Arabic, Hebrew, and other languages, showcasing tennis’s worldwide appeal.
Programs from Davis, Wightman, and Fed Cup, along with those from World Championship Tennis, World Team Tennis, Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, and other ATP and WTA events, are a small sample of those in the collection.
Among our books are those on rules and etiquette, history and analysis; biographies and memoirs of tennis greats; even fiction by notables such as Hall of Famers Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen. Many Hall of Famers, such as Helen Hull Jacobs, supplemented their tennis careers by writing how-to books, autobiographies, and novels.
Additionally, the library contains tennis instruction books for children and adults, comic, biography, and fiction books for children. The IRC Library also contains rare books on racquet games preceding lawn tennis from as early as the mid-16th Century. Our magazine and periodical collection contains issues from nearly 200 tennis and racquet sports publications from as early as the 1880s.
Visit the Information Research Center
The Information Research Center (IRC) is located directly above the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the 3rd floor of the historic Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island. Visitors may make an appointment to conduct research in our library and archives, or our knowledgeable staff is available to provide assistance with research services.
Reservations required, contact the Curator of Collections, Nicole Markham at 401-849-3990 | Visitation fee per day: $50
20% discount applies to Advantage Program participants and students with proof of enrollment (or under age 17), military, seniors (60 and over), members of professional library/museum/archiving organizations (with proof of membership).
The facility is open year-round, 9:30am – 4:30pm, Monday through Friday (Excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas Days).
