Thanks to a $12 million donation, the NYPL will be hosting a permanent exhibition showcasing a whole slew of priceless items.
By 2020, the New York Public Library will be an even more desirable place to visit thanks to a new endowment for the exhibition of some of the most special treasures the library has to offer. Artifacts like the Declaration of Independence written in Thomas Jefferson’s hand; manuscripts from authors like Maya Angelou and Jack Kerouac; and original sheet music from Beethovan and Mozart will be among the spectacular historic and cultural documents on display.
The exhibition will showcase the items on rotation and will be located in the 6,400-square-foot Gottesman Hall in the Stephen A. Schwarzman building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.
At the moment, the library has over 46 million items in its research collection and showcases them from time to time in temporary exhibitions. In order to get up close and personal, most of the time you need prior permission or a research pass. That’s all about to change thanks to this initiative.
In a statement, Public Library President Tony Marx explained, “all members of the public deserve to see and be inspired by The New York Public Library’s countless treasures, carefully preserved as part of the institution’s vast research collections for over a century. This new exhibition will showcase our collections, highlight the importance of research libraries to audiences new and familiar, and hopefully excite a new generation of researchers.”
The exhibition will be free to the public.
Featured image: curbed.com