This guide features an organized list of vertical files available, upon request, to researchers. The file names are listed exactly as how they appear within our collection and are organized alphabetically. For more information, please contact the reference desk.
Each file in this collection relates to the history of the New York Botanical Garden, from its founding up until the present day. Whether you are interested in the history of the Garden, the Bronx, or New York City as a whole, a vertical file could be a great place to start.
Vertical files are an accumulation of items (photos, articles, correspondences, etc.) related to a specific subject. Researchers can use these files to further direct and enrich their research. If you're studying history of a specific NYBG living collection, you've probably used a library vertical file. If you haven't, you should! Vertical Files are bring together photographs, newspaper articles, magazine clippings, brochures and other related ephemera in one folder, providing an overview of a given subject through various sources. Citing vertical files can be difficult, so guidelines can be found here.
Women of the Torrey Botanical Club prepare for the tour of the newly opened New York Botanical Garden, circa 1893
A brochure depicting the Mertz Library as part of NYBG's 2002 exhibit: Plant Science.
The Rock Garden, circa 1924
Members of the public explore the Garden, circa 1926