Chicago Botanic Garden

for immediate release

Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lenhardt Library Receives
Conservation Bookshelf

Reference books will aid in the conservation of collections

 

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (October 14, 2008) — The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lenhardt Library is pleased to announce it has been awarded 16 books from the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. The Bookshelf is intended to provide small and mid-sized libraries and museums with essential, permanent resources needed to improve the condition of their collections. The books are to be used as a reference tool for those who are caring for our nation’s collections.

“The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf will be a valuable tool in determining conservation and preservation needs for all parts of the Lenhardt Library,” said Leora Siegel, director of the Lenhardt Library at the Chicago Botanic Garden. “Especially for the Rare Book Collection and the archives of the Chicago Horticultural Society.”

The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is a core set of books, DVDs, online resources and an annotated bibliography that are essential for the care of collections. In adding these resources to the Lenhardt Library’s reference collection, they will be available for use at all times that the library is open. The Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries’ special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers.

The Woman's Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society established the Lenhardt Library in 1951. In 1959 it contained 584 volumes. With the opening of the Chicago Botanic Garden and its Education Center in 1976, the Library's growing collection of 6,000 books moved to a new facility to better meet the needs of its users.

Today the collections of the Library hold approximately 28,000 titles including 22,000 books, more than 300 currently received periodical titles, 670 non-current and out-of-print periodical titles, 600 videos and DVDs, 10,000 slides, 1,000 nursery catalogs, 3,000 rare books and periodicals, and the archives of the Chicago Horticultural Society.

The Lenhardt Library is located in the Regenstein Center. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday and Wednesday through Saturday. Tuesday hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Closed holidays. Members have borrowing privileges.

Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden is free. Select event fees apply. Parking is $15 per car; free for Garden members. For more information and to search the library collections, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/library.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. The Garden is also breaking new ground in urban horticulture and jobs training through a 15-acre project in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago called Windy City Harvest. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.