Botany & Horticulture Library

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The Botany Library is one of 20 branch libraries in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries system. It was established in the winter of 1965-1966 when the Botany Department moved into the newly-built West Wing of the Natural History Museum and several collections of botanical literature were consolidated into a separate library. It provides research support for the Botany Department and the large number of botanists world-wide who use the collections and resources.

The Horticulture Branch Library was established in 1984 as a research support resource for the Horticulture Services Division, which is responsible for the management of the gardens, grounds, greenhouses, and interior plantscaping at the Smithsonian Institution.
The Library evolved from a small office collection that was begun in the early 1970s. Since that time, this collection has been enhanced by the donation of several large gifts. An acquisition in 1984 of more than 150 American titles on landscape design dating from the 19th- and early 20th-centuries has become the foundation of a growing collection the subject. The collection has been placed next to the Botany Dept. library and is cared for by the Botany librarian.