The Lilly Library at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Indiana University Foundation has received a $10.9 million grant to support the renovation of the Lilly Library, home to one of the largest collections of Orson Welles’ papers and classic radio shows.
The grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. was announced by the university today. It will support major upgrades to the 52,516-square-foot facility’s mechanical systems and lighting, technological equipment, fire protection and security systems, ADA access and building navigation, and space configuration. These improvements will enable maximum preservation and an enhanced and more modern presentation of the library’s literary and cultural treasures, which require special handling and can only be accessed in secure on-site areas. They will also allow students, scholars, researchers, educators and other visitors to more effectively access and experience the library’s one-of-a-kind materials.
“The Lilly Library is one of our campus treasures. The renovation will support more scholarly interactions with relevant rare books, personal letters and photographs, among many other historically important objects. Our campus is deeply grateful for the endowment’s continued generous philanthropic support, which spans many decades and which supports our ongoing campus transformation,” said Lauren Robel, Indiana University at Bloomington provost and executive vice president.
In 1960, the Lilly Library’s total collection numbered approximately 100,000 rare books and 1 million manuscripts.
Today, the book collection has increased 350 percent, and the manuscript collection has grown 750 percent.
Among the Lilly Library’s most famous materials are the Gutenberg New Testament; the first printed edition of The Canterbury Tales; many beautifully illuminated medieval books of hours; the Boxer Codex, a unique 16th-century manuscript depiction of the people of the Philippines and Far East; and the personal archives of cultural luminaries such as Welles, Sylvia Plath, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.
Rare items from J.K. Lilly Jr.’s collection include John James Audubon’s Birds of America; Thomas Jefferson’s personal copy of the first printing of the Bill of Rights; a first edition of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice; the original manuscript of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan; and the William Shakespeare First Folio of 1623 -— the first printed collection of Shakespeare’s plays.
According to Lilly Library director Joel Silver, courses taught on site have increased by more than 225 percent since 1992.
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