Lilly Library, rare book and manuscript library in the United States
The Lilly Library is a rare book and manuscript library located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Its collections cover printed books, handwritten documents, and over 34,000 mechanical puzzles, making it one of the more varied special collections in the United States.
The library opened in October 1960 as a dedicated space for the rare and valuable materials that Indiana University had been collecting over the decades. Early acquisitions included a Gutenberg Bible, the first Bible printed in Europe using movable type, and a copy of the Bill of Rights that belonged to Thomas Jefferson.
The Lilly Library hosts rotating exhibitions open to the public at no cost, making rare materials accessible to everyday visitors. The Reading Room features murals that frame the act of collecting rare books as a long-standing scholarly tradition.
Free guided tours run on Friday afternoons and do not require reservations, so visitors can simply show up. Access to the Reading Room and special collections does require an appointment and a photo ID, so it is worth planning ahead for those areas.
The collection holds two locks of hair from Edgar Allan Poe: one sent with a love letter in 1848, and another taken after his death and kept in a brooch. Finding personal objects like these in a rare book library tends to surprise visitors who expect only printed materials.
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