Lloyd Library and Museum

The Lloyd Library and Museum is a research library in downtown Cincinnati housing around 150,000 volumes and extensive archival materials spanning natural sciences and related fields. The collection includes manuscripts, rare books, and scientific artifacts organized to support scholarly research and public exploration.

Three pharmacist brothers founded the library in 1864 while manufacturing botanical medicines in Cincinnati and needing scientific knowledge for their work. The collection grew from this practical need into a major research resource for the natural sciences community.

The collections focus on botany, pharmacy, and natural history, reflecting scientific interests from the 19th century that shaped Cincinnati's role in drug manufacturing. Today, visitors encounter materials that show how local pharmacists valued learning about the natural world.

The location sits in downtown and welcomes visitors at no cost to explore the collections on site or browse digitized resources online. The website makes many holdings accessible from anywhere, so you can preview items before visiting in person.

The collection holds Charles Darwin's first edition of 'On the Origin of Species' and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's personal copy of a herbal text. These rare volumes reveal the intellectual curiosity of the founders and draw scholars interested in exploring landmark scientific texts.

Inception: 1864

Website: https://lloydlibrary.org

GPS coordinates: 39.10525,-84.51924

Latest update: December 12, 2025 17:42