Notable Collections
Rare manuscripts, maps, photographs, and the written record of a nation.
Across the United States, library collections hold objects of incalculable cultural and historical value — from hand-written founding documents to the first photographs ever taken on American soil. Here is a glimpse into some of the most remarkable.
Library of Congress
Gutenberg Bible
One of only three perfect vellum copies in the world, printed circa 1455.
American Folklife Center
4 million items documenting folk traditions, oral histories, and music from every US region.
Geography & Map Division
Over 5.5 million maps and atlases — the largest cartographic collection on Earth.
Prints & Photographs
16 million images including Civil War photographs by Mathew Brady and FSA Depression-era photos.
New York Public Library
Berg Collection
Rare English and American literature, including original manuscripts by Virginia Woolf and Charles Dickens.
Schomburg Center
One of the world's premier research collections on the history and culture of African-descended peoples.
Map Division
433,000 maps and 20,000 atlases, including rare 16th-century maps of the New World.
Spotlight: Rare & Special Collections
| Library | Item | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Library of Congress | Waldseemüller Map (1507) | The first document to use the name "America" for the New World. |
| Huntington Library, CA | Ellesmere Chaucer (c. 1400) | One of the most lavishly illustrated medieval manuscripts in existence. |
| Morgan Library, NY | Lindau Gospels (c. 880) | Among the finest examples of Carolingian goldsmith work and illuminated manuscripts. |
| Beinecke Library, Yale | Voynich Manuscript | A mysterious illustrated codex in an undeciphered language, dating to the 15th century. |
| Newberry Library, Chicago | Ayer Collection | 130,000+ items on the history of indigenous peoples of the Americas. |
| Boston Public Library | John Adams's Library | 3,500 volumes from the personal collection of the second US President. |
Digital Access
Modern libraries have made vast portions of their collections freely available online. The Library of Congress's digital portal, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), and dozens of state and university systems collectively offer tens of millions of digitized items — books, photographs, maps, audio recordings, and films — accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
This ongoing digitization effort ensures that fragile originals are preserved while the knowledge they contain reaches a global audience.