Watch and talk to book conservator Nancy H. Nitzberg as she works on a rare, first edition copy of the 1777 Cook Atlas.

May is Library and Archives month at the Academy, and to celebrate, Science Live will be held in the Library weekdays from 1–3 pm. The Library, which serves Academy scientists, other staff, and outside scholars, is open to the public by appointment. During weekday afternoons in May, however, you’ll have the opportunity to drop in without an appointment and watch us work. Work varies depending on the day of the week. See Science Live for more information.

The Library, among the top natural history libraries in the world, holds more than 250,000 volumes published from the 1500s to the present. Complementing this treasure trove are over a million items in the Academy’s Archives, such as manuscripts, correspondence, field notebooks, films, journals, and photographs. Some of the holdings from the Library and Archives will be on display in the Library. Even more can be seen during the Behind-the-Scenes guided tours of the Library and Archives.