As a research institution, the Art Institute also has a conservation and conservation science department, five conservation laboratories, and one of the largest art history and architecture libraries in the country—the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries.
Som forskningsinstitution har Art Institute også en konserverings- og en konserveringsforskningsafdeling, fem konserveringslaboratorier samt et af de største kunsthistorie- og arkitekturbiblioteker i verden, Ryerson & Burnham Libraries.