The Bancroft Library is a library at the University of California, Berkeley. It was founded in 1905 with the acquisition of Hubert Howe Bancroft's collection and was named in his honor. It is a large collection of historical documents, with a specialty in literary works related to the history of California and the Trans-Mississippi western United States, the focus of Bancroft's original collection. The Bancroft Library is now home to a number of special collections, including the papers of Mark Twain and the University of California archives. It is one of the largest special collections in the United States.
Although the library itself is open to anyone who wishes to use it, access to some of its more valuable materials is restricted to researchers with a demonstrated need. The library website offers online access to several collections in digital form.
From February 2006 to March 2008, the building on the UC Berkeley campus was undergoing retrofitting, and the library was temporarily housed at 2121 Allston Way in Downtown Berkeley.
The library's current director is Charles Faulhaber.
