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Collections and MuseumsLSU’s Hill Memorial Library houses one of the world’s premier collections of chess literature relating to the history and play of the game. Ask about the Gladney Chess Collection at LSU Libraries’ Special Collections. The Museum of Natural History has the largest collection of bird DNA in the world. LSU has the 65th largest university research library in North America. In cooperation with the excellent faculty of the LSU Museum of Natural Science, the LSU Department of Biological Sciences directs the foremost graduate program in museum-based ornithology in the world. The LSU Museum of Natural Science has the world's oldest and largest collection of genetic resources for molecular genetic research on vertebrates. Such collections are fast becoming the most important museum collections, because the growth of genetic engineering and biotechnology has dramatically increased the demand for vertebrate tissue. The Smithsonian, American Museum of Natural History, Field Museum in Chicago, Berkeley, and other institutions have copied the LSU Museum model, but trail behind in size, importance, and use. The LSU Libraries hold 3,233,034 books, 6,663,531 microfilms, and 321,348 maps. The LSU Museum of Natural Science has the fourth-largest university bird collection. Only Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and the University of California have collections that are larger. The Cartographic Information Center in the Department of Geography and Anthropology is one of the largest university map libraries in the nation, with 312,432 maps, 108,024 aerial photographs, 16,000 hand-held photos, and 12,000 slides. In 2005, the LSU Art Museum opened in the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge. The LSU Museum of Art occupies the center's 15,000 square-foot fifth floor, designed in collaboration with the LSU School of Architecture, School of Art, and Department of Interior Design. Visitors may peruse the museum's 4,000 holdings while enjoying a spectacular view of the Mississippi River. The museum's move and expansion are part of a seven-year plan which complements the University's Flagship Agenda. The LSU Museum of Art owns a painting by internationally renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera in its permanent collection. The LSU Museum of Art holds a comprehensive collection of late 19th and early 20th century Newcomb pottery, which highlights the renowned New Orleans arts and crafts movement. LSU's Rural Life Museum was rated one of the best outdoor museums in the U.S. by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In March 2005, the New York Times recommended the museum to travelers.
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