The Karpeles Manuscript Library, with locations spanning the U.S., is the world's largest private holding of important original manuscript documents. The archives, which exceed a million in number, include Literature, Science, Religion, Political History, and Art. Among the treasures are: The original draft of the Bill of Rights of the United States, The original manuscript of the sheet music for The Wedding March," Einstein's famous formula "E=Mc2", The "Thanksgiving Proclamation" signed by George Hanson (first President under the Articles of Confederation), Roget's "Thesaurus," Webster's "Dictionary," and over one million more.
The Karpeles Manuscript Library was founded in Santa Barbara in the early 1980s by California real estate magnates David and Marsha Karpeles, to stimulating interest in learning, especially in children. To make the collection more accessible, it is distributed between several Karpeles museums across the U.S., with each located in a historic building, plus "mini-museums" in schools and office buildings. Items in each collection are rotated between museums quarterly, and each of the museums presents a daily general exhibit and one or more special scheduled exhibits throughout the year.
All of the Karpeles Manuscript Library services are free.
