by Peter Frassinet
First and Second Plates of the First number of Curtis Botanical Magazine (1787-1790), perhaps the most beloved botanical journal of all time, and renowned for its attention to detail in illustration
The Bailey Hortorium Library is a collection of botanical books, journals, and reprints, representing the personal library of Liberty Hyde Bailey combined with the library of the old Wiegand Herbarium at Cornell University. Over the years the collection has grown to some 30,000 volumes and a few hundred shelf-feet of reprints. Over 200 journal titles are received currently at the Hortorium Library.
Faculty, staff, and students of the Hortorium and the Cornell community at large put this collection to good use. The collection's primary focus is systematic botany, and includes a very fine array of world floras. The palm literature collection is particularly important. Other strengths of the collection include horticultural taxonomy and paleobotany.
The Hortorium Library maintains a physical card catalogue, but most of the volumes are also searchable online through Cornell University Library's Catalogue; Hortorium Library books will show the location Mann Library Hortorium or Mann Library Hortorium Reference. Since our catalogue is included in that of Cornell's, it is thus also available through RLIN and OCLC's WorldCat.
Lending policy
The Bailey Hortorium Library lends its books to the Cornell community through the Document Access desk at Mann Library. Loan periods are the same as for Mann Library books. Hortorium Reference volumes do not circulate.
Hortorium Library Hours and Location
The Bailey Hortorium Library is currently located in temporary quarters in South Hill, Ithaca along with the Bailey Hortorium Herbarium. The Library and the Herbarium will return to their home in the Mann Library Building in late 2007.
Our reading room is open 9 am - 4 pm, Monday-Friday.
Contact
The Bailey Hortorium librarian is Peter Fraissinet (pf13@cornell.edu; tel. 607-256-5343; fax 607-256-5344)