Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library inspires engagement with the past, in the present, for the future. One of the world’s largest libraries devoted entirely to rare books and manuscripts, it is Yale University’s principal repository of literary archives, early manuscripts, and rare books. Designed by Gordon Bunshaft of the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Beinecke Library opened in October 1963. It was the gift of three Yale alumni—Edwin J. Beinecke, 1907; Frederick W. Beinecke, 1909S; Walter Beinecke, 1910—and their families, who intended it as “a symbol of the loyalty and devotion of three brothers” and as “a source of learning and…an inspiration to all who enter.” The library’s courier address (for FedEx or UPS) – 121 Wall Street (ZIP 06511) – is unchanged for now, though it will adopt a new courier address by early next spring.