TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 4 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

TODAY'S HOURS: 8 AM – 4 PM

*Last entry is an hour before closing

Library & Special Collections

The BRIT Library supports botanical research and education in Texas and around the world. Our collection has been carefully curated and is a valuable research tool for those studying systematic botany, horticulture, natural history and ethnobotany. The BRIT Library houses one of the largest and finest collections of botanical works in the southwestern United States. 

The BRIT Library collection is non-circulating, meaning you cannot take materials home with you, but the library is open for public use by appointment Mondays through Fridays from 10 am to 4 pm. Please contact BRIT Library beforehand to ensure someone will be available to assist you during your visit.

About the Library

About the Library

Taxonomic journals, rare books, historical archives, nursery catalogs, and much more.
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The Arader Natural History Collection of Art

The Arader Natural History Collection of Art

Online gallery of The Arader Natural History Collection of...
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Advancing the extended specimen network: curating & digitizing the Sherwin Carlquist Collection

Learn more about the archival materials of noted botanist Sherwin Carlquist housed at BRIT Library.
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History of the Library

History of the Library

The establishment of a significant botanical library collection.
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Library Archives Collection

Library Archives Collection

This Collection contains works from many esteemed professionals in the field of Botany from around the world.
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Collections Lens

Collections Lens

The Collections Lens series highlights collection managers from around the world.
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Discovery Resources

Discovery Resources

Online Resources for Everyone.
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Library Exhibitions

Library Exhibitions

View exhibitions in the Library, the Upper Atrium Collections Gallery, and the Madeline R. Samples Exhibit Hall.
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The Stansbery Collection for Botanical Art

The Stansbery Collection for Botanical Art

A Library sub-collection centered on the botanical art form.
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The Oliver G. Burk Children’s Collection

The Oliver G. Burk Children’s Collection

The Oliver G. Burk Children's collection is a treasure of...
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Library Inventory

Library Inventory

The BRIT library contains approximately 100,000 volumes of scientific publications from more than 90 countries.
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Archive Lens

Archive Lens

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Botany Stories

Botany Stories

Unheard collecting stories from botanists at BRIT and beyond.
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Participate

Participate

Help the BRIT Library by supporting the acquisition of new materials and supplies or by giving the gift of your time.
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Research Projects

Library Exhibitions

BRIT Library has ongoing exhibitions on view in the Upper Atrium Collections Gallery and the Library, which highlight the Library's Arader Natural History Collection of Art and rare materials from the Library's Special Collections and Rare Book Room. The Library also oversees installations on current BRIT Research Programs in the Upper Atrium Research Gallery.

Recent Articles

Silphium albiflorum

Get to know the Garden’s new flagship Texas plants and the interns researching them

Every year, the research team adopts a few special plants as a focus for study and conservation, especially for the student interns who join the Garden every summer. This year, interns and their mentors are paying special attention to two plants, a wildflower native to Texas and a rare and remarkable native orchid, Meanwhile a third intern is investigating fungi growing in the Garden itself.

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Pondering Poaceae Across Texas

Dan Caudle discusses his interest in grasses and grasslands, giving particular attention to his work with Meredith Ellis, a young rancher and committed conservationist in Cooke County, Texas.

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Barney L. Lipscomb

Director of BRIT Press and Library, Leonhardt Chair of Texas Botany

Ana Niño

Librarian

Krishna Shenoy

Independent Contractor, Sherwin Carlquist Digitization Project

Sam Ekberg

Independent Contractor, Sherwin Carlquist Digitization Project