The Bancroft Library

FAIN: CH-50072-04

University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA 94704-5940)
Thomas C. Leonard (Project Director: June 2003 to July 2005)

Enhancement of storage facilities and climate controls for the Bancroft Collection of Western Americana and other special collections in the Bancroft Library.

The University of California Bancroft Library respectfully requests an award of $750,000 to support a renovation of the Library's Doe Annex facility, which houses The Bancroft Library, Berkeley's rare book and special collections library. The proposed capital project is designed to upgrade storage systems and improve scholarly access to the Bancroft Collection of Western Americana, the Library's oldest and largest special collection. Bancroft will celebrate its Centennial in 2005/2006. This landmark anniversary, in combination with a seismic upgrade construction project the University is carrying out in 2006, presents the Library with an exceptional opportunity to address serious preservation concerns caused by its aging facility. At this time, a Challenge Grant from the NEH would be a remarkably leveraged and timely investment in the preservation of this unique and irreplaceable collection, an essential resource for a large number of scholars in a wide range of humanities and disciplines.