The Folger Institute

The Folger Shakespeare Library's founders, Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily Jordan Folger, established the Folger in 1932 as a gift to the American people.

After it opened in 1932, the Folger Shakespeare Library steadily expanded its holdings to become a world-class research center on the early modern age in the West, while remaining the premier center for Shakespeare studies and resources outside of England.

The rare materials held at the Folger are meant to be actively used; Henry Folger once called the collection “a fine kit of tools for scholars.” Today, the Folger Shakespeare Library continues to make its books, manuscripts, and artworks as accessible as possible within the limits set by their rarity and, in many cases, fragility. Although our Reading Rooms are currently closed due to a major building renovation project, we remain committed to assisting researchers in their work.