The Huntington Library

The Huntington Library is one the world's great independent research libraries, with more than nine million items spanning the 11th to 21st century.

The founder, Henry E. Huntington, began purchasing books and manuscripts with a focus on English-speaking peoples, creating unparalleled collections in the history and culture of America and the British Isles. The extent and style of his acquisitions also garnered outstanding Continental European materials, as well as ones for the history of Hispanic and indigenous America.

The move to establish the Library in greater Los Angeles brought an emphasis on resources related to the state of California and the American West, as well as the documentation of Pacific Rim cultures and societies. In the 21st century, the donations of the Burndy Library Collection and the Jay T. Last Collection of Graphic Arts and Social History enormously expanded holdings in the history of science and in visual materials, respectively.

Collections

The Huntington’s vast Library Collections support multiple areas of inquiry and are open for research to registered readers. A selection from these collections are accessible to the public online via The Huntington Digital Library.

What to See

Highlights from the Huntington Library are on display in the Main Exhibition Hall and the Dibner Hall of the History of Science. Themed, temporary exhibitions of materials are mounted in the West Hall gallery.