McHenry Library, University library at University of California Santa Cruz, United States.
McHenry Library is a four-story university library on the UC Santa Cruz campus in California, built with large glass walls set in concrete and surrounded by redwood forest. The collections cover arts, humanities, and social sciences across open floors with reading areas and a cafe on site.
The building was completed in 1968, designed by architect John Carl Warnecke, and named after Dean E. McHenry, the founding chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. It was one of the first major buildings on what was then a very new campus, and it helped establish the academic tone of the institution from its early years.
The Special Collections reading room holds archives from anthropologist Gregory Bateson and science fiction writer Robert Heinlein. Visitors can request original documents and manuscripts from these collections, which draws researchers and students from outside the university.
The library is open to students and visitors, though some areas like Special Collections require an appointment in advance. The building has plenty of seating on each floor, and a cafe on site makes it easy to spend a few hours there.
The library holds the Grateful Dead Archive, one of the largest collections of materials ever donated by a rock band to an academic institution. Fans and music historians come specifically to look through concert posters, correspondence, and unpublished recordings held there.
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