The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation (HIBD), dedicated as the Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Botanical Library in 1961, is a research division of Carnegie Mellon University.
HIBD is named for Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt. [1] [2] [3] She donated a collection of botanical books to the university to create HIBD. An annual monetary award is given in her honor by the institute. [4]
HIBD was dedicated October 10, 1961. [5] George H. M. Lawrence was the founding director. [6] In 1970, Gilbert Daniels, became the second director. [7] T. D. Jacobsen succeeded Robert Kiger as director in 2019. [8]
HIBD is an institution of international bibliographical research in the fields of botany, horticulture, and plant science history. It has a research library with over 30,000 works and art holdings. It includes art and bibliography departments.[ citation needed ]
HIBD is better known internationally than in the U.S. [9] It has a collection of botanical paintings (many of them watercolors), drawings, and prints dating from the Renaissance to contemporary works. Its library has books from an equally expansive time frame.[ citation needed ]
HIBD hosts public exhibitions, including the triennial International Exhibition of Botanical Art & Illustration since 1964. That exhibition coincides with the educational conference of the American Society of Botanical Artists in Pittsburgh. [9]