Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library is a renowned research library located at Columbia University in New York City, founded in 1890 by Henry Ogden Avery and William Robert Ware. The library is a major center for the study of architecture, fine arts, decorative arts, landscape architecture, city planning, and historic preservation, with a collection of over 500,000 volumes, including works by Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe. The library serves the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and the School of the Arts at Columbia University, as well as the wider academic community, including Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The library's holdings are also used by researchers from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the New York Public Library.

● History

The library was established in 1890, with a founding collection of 2,000 volumes, including works by Andrea Palladio, Leon Battista Alberti, and Vitruvius. Over the years, the library has grown to become one of the largest and most comprehensive architectural libraries in the world, with a collection that includes works by Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and Frank Furness. The library has been housed in several locations, including Low Memorial Library and McKim, Mead & White's Schermerhorn Hall, before moving to its current location in Avery Hall in 1912, designed by McKim, Mead & White. The library has also been supported by notable architects and collectors, including John Jacob Astor IV, William Randolph Hearst, and Henry Clay Frick, and has collaborated with institutions such as the American Institute of Architects, the Architectural League of New York, and the Society of Architectural Historians.

● Collections

The library's collections include over 500,000 volumes, including books, periodicals, and microforms, as well as a significant collection of architectural drawings, photographs, and manuscripts, including works by Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and Richard Meier. The library's holdings also include a large collection of rare books and manuscripts, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Giovanni Battista Piranesi, as well as a significant collection of art and architecture journals, including The Architectural Review, Architectural Record, and Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. The library also subscribes to numerous databases and online resources, including JSTOR, Artstor, and EBSCO, and provides access to digital collections from institutions such as the Getty Research Institute, the Library of Congress, and the National Gallery of Art.

● Architecture

The library is housed in Avery Hall, a Beaux-Arts building designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1912, with a grand reading room and a series of smaller study rooms and exhibition spaces, including the Wood Auditorium and the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation's Studio X. The building has undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, including a major renovation in the 1980s, led by Robert A.M. Stern, and a recent renovation of the reading room, designed by Annabelle Selldorf, and has been recognized for its architectural significance by organizations such as the American Institute of Architects and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The library's architecture has also been influenced by the work of notable architects, including Louis Kahn, Paul Rudolph, and Kevin Roche.

● Services

The library provides a range of services to support research and study, including reference services, instructional services, and digital scholarship services, as well as access to special collections and rare materials, including the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals and the Columbia University Libraries' Digital Library Collection. The library also offers a range of workshops and seminars on topics such as information literacy, digital humanities, and archival research, and collaborates with other libraries and institutions, including the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of the City of New York, to provide access to a wide range of resources and expertise, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Thomas J. Watson Library and the Frick Collection's Frick Art Reference Library. The library's services are also supported by organizations such as the Council on Library and Information Resources and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

● Exhibitions

The library hosts a range of exhibitions and events throughout the year, including lectures, symposia, and workshops, on topics such as architectural history, urban planning, and sustainable design, featuring the work of notable architects and designers, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and Norman Foster. The library's exhibitions are often curated in collaboration with other institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, and have included exhibitions on topics such as Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum. The library's exhibitions are also supported by organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Category:Libraries in New York City