George Peabody Library (Mt Vernon Campus)

Formerly the Library of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore, the library’s collection dates from the founding of the Peabody Institute in 1857. In that year, George Peabody, a Massachusetts-born philanthropist, dedicated the Peabody Institute to the citizens of Baltimore in appreciation of their “kindness and hospitality.”

The library building opened in 1878 and was designed by Baltimore architect Edmund G. Lind, in collaboration with the Peabody Institute’s first provost, Dr. Nathaniel H. Morison. The stack room contains five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies, which rise dramatically to the skylight 61 feet above the floor.

The library contains 300,000 volumes, mainly from the 19th century, with strengths in religion, British art, architecture, topography and history; American history, biography, and literature; Romance languages and literature; history of science; and geography, exploration, and travel.

Peabody 360: Explore the Peabody Library

Check out the high-resolution 360-degree virtual tour of the stunning interior.

George Peabody Library General Rules

In support of its mission to provide access to materials and services in an environment that is conducive to study and research, George Peabody Library requires all visitors to comply with the following general rules:

• Photography and filming are permitted for personal use only:
  • Hand-held cameras
  • No flash, lights, and tripods
  • Disruptive photography or filming is not allowed
  • All participants (including library users and staff) must give consent
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• Photography and filming for all other uses, including editorial, media, or commercial purposes, requires advance, written permission and may be subject to a fee. Please contact the Office of Private Events at privateeventsoffice@jhu.edu for more information.
• Visitor access is limited to the ground floor.
• Visitors who engage in conduct that disrupts or interferes with the scholarly environment may be asked to leave.