Founded in Philadelphia in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest natural science research institution in the Americas. From the beginning, its Library and Archives have been at the heart of its endeavors.
The Academy's Library and Archives is internationally recognized for its collections documenting the historical development of the natural and environmental sciences. The Library holdings span five centuries (sixteenth century to the present) and include a wide array of books and periodicals. The Archives collections span four centuries, from the late seventeenth century to the present. They include manuscripts, field notebooks, correspondence, films, journals, photographs, art, and artifacts. The Library and Archives continues to evolve, serving multiple disciplines and constituents while fostering innovative museum programming and exhibitions, cross-disciplinary research, and creative work at the intersection between the visual arts and the natural sciences.
Since the beginning of the Academy's affiliation with Drexel University in 2011, L&A has been an integral part of the Drexel University library system, with a shared online catalog and services fully available to the entire Drexel community.
L&A at the ANS comprises three parts: the Reference stacks, the Academy Archives, and the Rare Books Collection.
The Academy's Library & Archives are located on the third floor at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Your Drexel ID will grant you access to the building. Please ask the staff at the entrance desk for directions to where we are.
The phone for the library is 215-299-1040, and for the archives is 215-299-1075.
Please visit our website here.
