With the growth of

science fiction studies ''Science Fiction Studies'' (''SFS'') is an academic journal founded in 1973 by R. D. Mullen. The journal is published three times per year at DePauw University. As the name implies, the journal publishes articles and book reviews on science fic ...

as an academic discipline as well as a popular media genre, a number of libraries, museums, archives, and special collections have been established to collect and organize works of scholarly and historical value in the field.

Key collections

The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculation is a leading collection of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

. It was founded in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in 1970 by

Judith Merril Judith Josephine Grossman (January 21, 1923 – September 12, 1997), who took the pen-name Judith Merril around 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist, and one of the first women to be wid ...

. This

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamen ...

collection contains over 63,000 items, including books, magazines, audiovisual works, original manuscripts, and other items of interest to both casual users and academic researchers.

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, whic ...

and Jody Patton founded the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in 2004, located at the base of

Space Needle The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a Seattle landmark. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Cente ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

. Prominent authors such as

Greg Bear Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) was an American writer and illustrator best known for science fiction. His work covered themes of galactic conflict ('' Forge of God'' books), parallel universes ('' The Way'' series), c ...

serve as advisers to the museum. An important museum of the genre is Maison d’Ailleurs ("House of Elsewhere") in Yverdon-les-Bains,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, housing a large collection of literature relating to science fiction,

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island soc ...

s, and extraordinary journeys. It was founded by the French encyclopedist Pierre Versins in 1976 and now owns over 70,000 books, as well as many other items (60,000) related to science fiction and its imagery.

List of archives, libraries, museums, and collections

Research collections

Jack Williamson Science Fiction Library
lending library of over 20,000 volumes of speculative fiction at

Eastern New Mexico University Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU or Eastern) is a public university with a main campus in Portales, New Mexico, and two associate degree-granting branches, one at Ruidoso and one at Roswell. ENMU is New Mexico's largest regional comprehensi ...

. Includes archival materials from authors.
J. Lloyd Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Utopian Literature
(

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban dist ...

)
Collection description

The Science Fiction Foundation Collection
Special Collections and Archives, Sydney Jones Library,

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

M. Horvat Collection of Science Fiction Fanzines
University of Iowa Libraries, Special Collections Dept.
H.G Wells Literary Papers
at

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) The Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (RBML) is located on the 3rd floor of the University Library. The library is one of the largest special collections repositories in the United States. Its co ...

The Judith Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy
Toronto Public Library (founded 1970)
Michigan State University Libraries, Science Fiction Collection
include

and

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy Fantas ...

depository
MIT Science Fiction Society
("the world's largest open-shelf collection of science fiction")
local index

Caltech S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
lending library of over 12,000 volumes of speculative fiction at

the California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

Paskow Science Fiction Collection

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

Libraries (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), including a significan
collection of fanzines

University of Maryland Baltimore County, ca. 10,000 book volumes and serials, and the Coslet Collection of 15,000 SF fanzines
* Maison d’Ailleurs ("House of Elsewhere"), Yverdon-les-Bains,

(founded 1976 and holding more than 40,000 books and other items)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Collection
Northern Illinois University.

depository, pulps, and collects the papers of current SF authors. *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

's Special Collections, including the "Roland Bounds Science Fiction Collection" (30,000 volumes) *

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

'
"Bud Foote Science Fiction Collection"
(established 1999; 8,000+ volumes) *

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

'
"Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection"
(More than 20,000 titles and "over ninety percent of the American science fiction pulp magazines published prior to 1980") *

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

'
"Elizabeth Chater Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy"

Seoul Science Fiction & Fantasy LibraryScience Fiction Collections
at th
University of South FloridaScience Fiction Collections
at th
Kenneth Spencer Research Library
University of Kansas
Phantastische Bibliothek Wetzlar, Germany
(270,000 volumes of speculative fiction, mainly in German, including a significant collection of pulp magazines and fanzines)
Villa Fantastica, Vienna, Austria
public library founded 2010 by :de:Helmuth W. Mommers, holding 50,000 volumes mainly in German, including a broad collection of German "Dime Novels"
University of Oslo Science Library
(8,000 volumes of science fiction )
Murdoch University Science Fiction Collection
(including over 13,000 book titles and a significant number of fanzines)
J. Francis McComas Science Fiction Collection
San Francisco Public Library
The University of Alabama in Huntsville Special Collections and Archives
collects science fiction in English and German and has archival collections from Willy Ley and Robert Forward.
City Tech Science Fiction Collection
Ursula C. Schwerin Library, New York City College of Technology ; Popular culture collections with strong SF
Bowling Green State University Popular Culture Collection

Stanford University Library ("Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls")

Museums

* Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, founded in 2004. * Maison d’Ailleurs ("House of Elsewhere"), Yverdon-les-Bains,

(founded 1976 and holding more than 70,000 books and 60,000 other items) *

Museum of Science Fiction The Museum of Science Fiction (MOSF) is a 501c(3) nonprofit museum that has plans to be based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in the spring of 2013 by Greg Viggiano and a team of 22 volunteer professionals with a goal of becoming the world's ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

, founded in 2013 with a goal of becoming the world's first comprehensive science fiction museum.

Important databases and portals

SF Hub
the University of Liverpool Library's "Science Fiction Foundation" collection
Center for the Study of Science Fiction

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

ISFDB
the Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase

Map of major SF Archival Collections
maintained by ''The Eaton Journal of Archival Research in Science Fiction''
SF Archival Collections Wiki
a growing wiki of the locations of SF writers' papers, crowd-sourced by librarians.

References

{{Science fiction Libraries and museums Libraries and museums Libraries and museums Museum collections Lists of museums by subject Museums in popular culture Types of museums Libraries by subject