Online Catalog (Harlow) | Photo Archives | Institutional Archives | Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room | World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 Online Collections | Online Specimen Collection Databases The Library’s collections are an indispensable resource for the Museum’s research, exhibit development and educational programs. The 275,000 volumes of the Main Research Collections concentrate on biological systematics, environmental and evolutionary biology, anthropology, archaelogy, museology and related subjects. Three special collections supplement these holdings: The Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room, the Photo Archives and the Institutional Archives preserve actively used special materials. These collections document the development of the Museum and its collections and the history of its programs and of the scientific disciplines it pursues. Use our Online Catalog, Harlow Available on the web since 2002, Harlow provides public access to over 120,000 bibliographic records from both the Main Research Collections and items in the Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room. Library Photo Archives The Photo Archives holds over 250,000 scientific and historical images. View a small sample of images and descriptive captions of some of the most frequently requested photographs held in this rich image archive. Price information and order forms are provided for purchasing reproductions. Institutional Archives The Field Museum Institutional Archives preserves the records and papers of Museum directors, curators, and departments. The Institutional Archives is the official repository of The Field Museum, charged with storing, cataloging, and preserving the history of The Field Museum. It also contains an extensive film collection of original Field Museum expeditions and exhibitions and its holdings encompass nearly 18,000 linear feet of paper materials. Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room The Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room contains 7,500 volumes, including rare books, serials and thousands of original natural history and ethnographic illustrations. Important collections include Edward E. Ayer's ornithological library, Frederick Kunz's works on mineralogy, and Stanley Field's collection on voyages and exploration. World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 Online Collections In its special collections the Library holds important original materials from the Exposition and a wealth of material relating to the founding and early history of The Field Museum. Our digital presentation of these collections allows you to browse or search among these holdings and view images on the Illinois Digital Archives (IDA). Online Specimen Collections Databases The research departments of the Academic Affairs division offer public access to a number of online databases providing scientific information and images of some of the 22 million objects in the Museum’s collections.