What is The Bancroft Library?
The Bancroft Library is a major center for research at the University of California, consisting of a non-circulating collection of books, manuscripts, pictures, maps, and other materials. The Bancroft Library is housed on the east side of Doe Library, just west of the Campanile. The manuscripts of The Bancroft Library number over 44,000,000 and range from 4,000-year-old papyri to current papers. Centering on diverse aspects of California and Mexico, they also include writings of persons prominent in literature, politics, journalism, law, science, business, and other activities of many regions. Original manuscripts are supplemented by many microfilms. The Bancroft Collection, the Library’s largest resource, documents the history of western North America, particularly from the western plains states to the Pacific Coast and from Panama to Alaska, with greatest emphasis on California and Mexico. The History of Science and Technology Collection holds manuscripts and rare books emphasizing t
