Phillips Library

The Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum is a rare books and special collections library located in the Essex Institute Historic District of Salem, Massachusetts. It "is made up of the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem and Essex Institute, which merged in 1992. Both had libraries named for members of the Phillips family." The Phillips Library reading room is located in Plummer Hall on Essex Street, with offices in the connected John Tucker Daland House.

Plummer Hall was originally built for the Salem Athenaeum in 1857. The Athenaeum provided for space for the Essex Institute and several other groups, and sold the building to the Essex Institute in 1907. The reading room underwent restoration in 1998. Both buildings closed in November 2011 for an extensive renovation. The Phillips Library Reading Room reopened in August 2013 at its temporary location at 1 Second Street, Peabody, MA.

Peabody Essex Museum

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, is considered one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States. It is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and the Essex Institute. The museum holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US. Its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as well as twenty-two historic buildings. The Peabody Essex ranks among the top 20 art museums in the U.S. by measures including gallery space and endowment. Once the Advancement Campaign is complete and the newly expanded museum opens in 2019, PEM will rank in the top 10 North American art museums in terms of gallery square footage, operating budget and endowment. The P.E.M has more than 840,000 works of art and culture featuring maritime art and history; American art; Asian, Oceanic, and African art; Asian export art; two large libraries with over 400,000 books, manuscripts.

The museum presently owns collections of maritime art, including works by marine artist James Bard. The museum also has collections of: American decorative art; Asian art; Japanese art; Korean art; Chinese art; Native American art; Oceanic art; African art; Indian art (contemporary); rare books, manuscripts & ephemera (in the Phillips Library); photography (a collection comprising more than a half million rare and vintage images); architecture (24 historic American structures and gardens; 5 buildings are National Historic Landmarks; 8 others are listed on the National Register of Historic Places).