Written by: Michelle Sosa
Edited by: Genevieve Hammang
An interior shot of the library.
Considered to be the first research university in the United States, Johns Hopkins University is also home to several impressive libraries within its campuses. Located in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, the George Peabody Library offers an extensive collection of literature while simultaneously offering an absolutely stunning interior for its patrons. Take a look for yourself using this online 360-degree virtual tool. This library originated as the designated library for the Peabody Institute which was founded in 1857. George Peabody, a philanthropist from Massachusetts gifted the Peabody Institute to Baltimore residents as a form of gratitude for their kindness and generosity. The institute became the first conservatory in the United States and was recognized as a leader in arts and education soon after. As a matter of fact, the faculty consists of Pulitzer Prize winners, Guggenheim fellows, MacArthur fellows, and many more distinguished individuals.
It is no surprise that the collections at the George Peabody Library are invaluable and vast. The library opened its doors in 1878 with an architectural design by Edmund G. Lind, in collaboration with the Peabody Institute’s first provost, Dr. Nathaniel H. Morison. Its breathtaking design features 5 floors of ornamental iron balconies in the stack room which rise up to 61 feet above the ground. Within these stacks, researchers will find more than 300,000 volumes containing a myriad of works such as British art, topography, American history, Greek and Latin classics, history of science, etc. In keeping with George Peabody’s original intentions with his gift, the library still remains free and open to the public to this day. It does, however, belong to the Special Collections department of the Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins University. Therefore, its collections are non-circulating. The collections can be viewed online and readers/researchers are encouraged to use the collection.
A photo of a researcher in the Reading Room.
The library also offers a reading room that researchers can register to use to view special collections materials–under the supervision of a staff member, of course. The library holds an impressive collection of rare books–over 400,000 volumes of incunabula, medieval, Renaissance, and fine printed books. One of their featured collections is titled the Women of the Book collection which contains more than 425 books, manuscripts, and other printed ephemera that was produced between 1460-1800 focused on the lives of nuns and holy women. Another impressive collection is their American literature collection which consists of work by literary giants such as Henry James, Langston Hughes, and Gertrude Stein.
In addition to their collections, the university also hosts a variety of exhibitions in several museums, galleries, and library locations. At the George Peabody Library location, they are hosting an exhibition titled A Cathedral of Books where one can peruse the selection of rare books and facsimile reproductions spanning from the Renaissance to the 19th century. One can also view past exhibitions on the library website using this link.
For more information on the different library locations and visitor access, visit this link to view the hours and directions. The website also allows one to see which locations offer study spaces indicated by the purple banner tagged on specific locations.
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