Brooklyn Art Library

The Brooklyn Art Library houses the Sketchbook Project: a collaborative library of artists’ sketchbooks that’s grown every year since 2006. The Library opened in its current location in 2010 and soon featured more than 10,000 books from 104 countries on 6 continents.

All of these sketchbooks are available to check out in the Library for free. Just sign up for a library card and peruse books cataloged in themes like “Dirigibles and Submersibles” or “Things Found on Restaurant Napkins.” Many sketches from the project are also available digitally on the Brooklyn Art Library website.

Intrigued sketchers can add their own work to the collection by signing up to participate in the project. For consideration in the project, prospective contributors can visit the library or the project’s website and sign up to receive a blank sketchbook. All work received by the librarians before each project’s deadline will be barcoded, cataloged, and exhibited on the shelves of the Brooklyn Art Library.