Clements Library

The Clements Library houses original resources for the study of American history and culture from the 15th through the 19th century. Its mission is to collect and preserve primary-source materials, including rare books, pamphlets, maps, prints, photographs, and manuscripts, to make them available for research, and to create an environment that supports and encourages scholarly investigation of our nation’s past. Originally opened in 1923, architect Albert Kahn designed the Clements Library and its elegant research and exhibition space, the Avenir Foundation Room.