HENRY E HUNTINGTON LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY

LIBRARY DIVISION THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST INDEPENDENT RESEARCH LIBRARIES, HOLDING SOME 12 MILLION ITEMS CULTURAL TREASURES THAT SPAN THE 11TH THROUGH 21ST CENTURIES. THESE EXTRAORDINARY AND DIVERSE MATERIALS OVER 95% OF WHICH ARE RARE AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ARE CENTERED ON 14 INTERSECTING COLLECTION STRENGTHS: AMERICAN HISTORY; BRITISH HISTORY; HISTORY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE; LITERATURE IN ENGLISH; MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS; EARLY PRINTED BOOKS; CALIFORNIA HISTORY AND CULTURE; HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST; HISPANIC HISTORY AND CULTURE; PHOTOGRAPHY; MAPS AND ATLASES; PRINTS, POSTERS, AND EPHEMERA; ARCHITECTURE; AND PACIFIC RIM HISTORY AND CULTURE. THE LIBRARY'S COLLECTIONS ENCOMPASS: 8.9 MILLION MANUSCRIPTS; 450,000 RARE BOOKS; 420,000 REFERENCE BOOKS; 900,000 PRINTS AND EPHEMERA, 800,000 PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OVER 6 TERABYTES OF DIGITAL COLLECTIONS. HAILING FROM SOME 30 COUNTRIES, 2,200 RESEARCHERS MAKE MORE THAN 14,000 IN-PERSON VISITS TO STUDY RARE COLLECTIONS IN THE LIBRARY'S READING ROOMS EACH YEAR. SOME 300,000 TOUR THE LIBRARY'S EXTENSIVE EXHIBITION HALLS IN SAN MARINO. OVER 7,500 UTILIZE THE LIBRARY'S VIRTUAL REFERENCE AND VIRTUAL READING ROOM SERVICES, AND MORE THAN 3 MILLION MAKE USE OF ITS VIRTUAL RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS. EIGHTY-FIVE LIBRARY STAFF MEMBERS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN CULTIVATING AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO THE COLLECTIONS, CREATING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISCOVERY AND ENGAGEMENT, AND ENSURING THAT COLLECTIONS ARE PRESERVED FOR THE FUTURE. THAT INCLUDES A TEAM OF NINE PROFESSIONAL BOOK, PAPER, AND PAINTINGS CONSERVATORS WHO CARRY OUT THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF COLLECTIONS TREATMENT ANNUALLY FOR LIBRARY AND ART COLLECTIONS. THE THREE LIBRARY EXHIBITION HALLS, WITH A COMBINED 9,000 SQUARE FEET OF DEDICATED SPACE, SHOWCASE SOME OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING MATERIALS IN THE COLLECTION. THE MAIN HALL FEATURES A ROTATING EXHIBITION OF SOME 150 RARE ITEMS GROUPED THEMATICALLY AROUND 12 ICONIC WORKS LIKE THE GUTENBERG BIBLE AND THOREAU'S WALDEN MANUSCRIPTS. THE 90,000-SQUARE-FOOT MUNGER RESEARCH CENTER PROVIDES WORKSPACE FOR SCHOLARS AND STAFF, AND FACILITIES FOR CONSERVATION AND DIGITAL IMAGING, AS WELL AS COLLECTIONS STORAGE. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2023, THE LIBRARY READING ROOMS WERE OPEN TO RESEARCHERS FOR 291 DAYS, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 50 READERS PER DAY. EXHIBITS DURING THE YEAR FOR THE LIBRARY AND RESEARCH INCLUDED: * REMARKABLE WORKS, REMARKABLE TIMES * STORIES AND VOICES FROM L.A. CHINATOWN * PRINTED IN 1085: THE CHINESE BUDDHIST CANON FROM THE SONG DYNASTY