Lilly Library facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lilly Library
Established	1960; 65 years ago (1960)
Location	Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A.
Coordinates	39°10′04″N 86°31′08″W / 39.1679°N 86.5190°W / 39.1679; -86.5190
Branches	N/A
Collection
Size	Approximately 450,000 books, 8.5 million manuscripts, 60,000 comic books, 16,000 mini books, 35,000 puzzles, and 150,000 pieces of sheet music.
Access and use
Circulation	Library does not publicly circulate
Population served	48,514 faculty, staff, and students at Indiana University Bloomington, additional scholars, and members of the public
Other information
Director	Joel Silver
Staff	20
Website	https://libraries.indiana.edu/lilly-library

The Lilly Library is a very special place at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It's known for its amazing collection of rare books and old papers. Imagine a huge treasure chest filled with history!

When it first opened in 1960, the library had 20,000 books and 17,000 old manuscripts. Today, it has grown a lot. It now holds 8.5 million manuscripts, 450,000 books, and even 60,000 comic books! Plus, there are 16,000 tiny mini books, 35,000 puzzles, and 150,000 pieces of music.

History of the Lilly Library

Novus Atlas Sinensis by Martino Martini from the Lilly Library's collection

The Lilly Library started in 1960 thanks to a man named Josiah K. Lilly Jr.. He was the owner of a big medicine company called Lilly Pharmaceuticals. But he also loved collecting things!

J.K. Lilly spent most of his life collecting. He gathered books, old papers, art, coins, stamps, and even toy soldiers. He also collected old guns and model ships.

Between 1954 and 1957, J.K. Lilly gave his huge collection to Indiana University. This gift included over 20,000 books and 17,000 manuscripts. It also had more than 50 oil paintings and 300 prints. These items became the very first treasures of the Lilly Library.

At the library's opening, Frederick B. Adams Jr. said that Mr. Lilly's collection was amazing. He collected so many different types of books. It was hard to believe one person could be interested in all of them! He also collected many rare and important books in a short time. This showed his hard work and imagination.

What's Inside: Amazing Collections

The Lilly Library is home to many incredible items. It has about 450,000 books and 8.5 million manuscripts. There are also 60,000 comic books and 35,000 puzzles.

The library has strong collections in many areas. These include British and American history and literature. They also have items about science, food, and children's books. There are many old and beautiful books and papers.

Here are some of the most famous items you can find there:

• A part of the Gutenberg Bible, one of the first books ever printed.
• The very first printed collection of William Shakespeare's plays.
• Audubon's famous book, Birds of America.
• One of only 26 copies of the "First Printing of the Declaration of Independence." This was printed on July 4, 1776!
• George Washington's letter where he accepted becoming president.
• Abraham Lincoln's desk from his law office.
• The original papers for the song "Auld Lang Syne".
• The Boxer Codex, an old book from around 1595. It shows pictures of people in the Philippines long ago.
• Original typescripts (early versions) of many James Bond novels by Ian Fleming.
• Two locks of Edgar Allan Poe's hair!

The library also keeps the papers of famous people. These include movie directors Orson Welles and John Ford. They also have papers from poets Sylvia Plath and Ezra Pound.

Miniature Books: The Ruth E. Adomeit Collection

After Ruth E. Adomeit passed away in 1996, her amazing collection of miniature books came to the Lilly Library. This collection is one of the biggest of its kind in the world. It's called 4000 Years of Miniature Books.

This collection shows the history of tiny books. It has everything from ancient clay tablets to modern small books.

Comic Books: The Michael E. Uslan Collection

Michael Uslan, who produced the Batman movies, gave over 30,000 comic books to the Lilly Library. Some of these comics were shown in an exhibition. It was called "Comics as Cultural Mythology."

The Uslan Collection also has many action figures and other cool pop culture items. You can ask to see them through the library's request system.

Puzzles: The Jerry Slocum Collection

In 2006, the library received a huge collection of puzzles. It came from Jerry Slocum. This collection has 30,000 mechanical puzzles and 4,000 books about puzzles. It's the largest collection of its kind anywhere!

Mechanical puzzles are small objects you hold and try to solve. This collection has puzzles from many centuries and from all over the world. You can even try some of the puzzles yourself in the Slocum Puzzle Room!

French Revolution Documents

The Lilly Library has a large collection of materials about the French Revolution of 1789. This collection has about seven thousand pieces. It includes old newspapers, pamphlets, and many other official papers.

Old Maps and Explorations: The Bernardo Mendel Collection

The Mendel collection has two main parts. One part is about the time when people first explored the world. It has old maps and stories from the 15th to the 19th century. This includes famous works by Ptolemy and stories about discovering the New World.

The other part of the collection focuses on Latin American history. It has many items from the 17th to the 19th century, especially about Mexico.

Indiana Authors: The James Whitcomb Riley Collection

The Lilly Library has the personal papers of James Whitcomb Riley. He was a famous Indiana author. The collection includes his writings, letters, scrapbooks, and photos. Many of his books are also in the library's catalog.

The library also has works by other authors from Indiana.

Movies, Radio & TV: Scripts and More

The Lilly Library has 2,000 movie scripts. This includes an early script for the film Chariots of Fire. To make this collection even better, the library added materials from famous directors like Orson Welles and John Ford.

The library also has 800 BBC radio scripts. And for TV fans, there are scripts from shows like Star Trek and Mission: Impossible.

• The John Ford Collection includes four of his Oscars! One of them is on display. It also has photos from the 1925 movie Ben-Hur and his letters.

Music: Sheet Music Collection

The library has 150,000 pieces of sheet music. Some important collections are the Sam DeVincent Collection of American Sheet Music and the Starr Sheet Music Collection. There's also a collection of music by Hoagy Carmichael, a famous Indiana musician.

Comics: The Dale Messick Collection

The library has the original drawings for Dale Messick's comic strip, Brenda Starr. You can search through the collection by date.

Mystery Writers of America Collection

This collection has papers from the Mystery Writers of America group. It includes notes from meetings, letters, and early drafts of mystery stories.

Poetry: The Sylvia Plath Collection

The library has 94 poems by Sylvia Plath. It also has over 3,000 examples of her letters, writings, and personal items. About 150 books from Plath's own library are also kept here.

Other Cool Collections

• Willis Pyle, an American animator who worked on Pinocchio and Mr. Magoo, gave his personal papers to the Lilly Library.
• Peter and Iona Opie donated their collection of about 1,200 children's books. They wrote famous books about nursery rhymes and school children.
• The Gosling Mandrovsky Playing Card Collection has many different playing cards.

Where to Find the Lilly Library

The Lilly Library is located in the middle of the Indiana University Bloomington campus. It's on the south side of a small square. In the center of this square is the beautiful Showalter Fountain.

The Indiana University Art Museum and the School of Fine Arts are across the square. The Indiana University Auditorium is on the east side of the square.

See also

• David A. Randall