Introduction to the library

What is the history of our library and what collections are kept within its walls?

A library that travels

The library of the CJBG has not always been in its current location at the north of the Garden. When the Conservatory was created by Augustin-Pyramus de Candolle in 1824 on the Promenade des Bastions, the library was modest in the extreme, and remained so throughout the 19th century. Moved to the site called “La Console” on the shore of Lake Geneva in 1904, from the start of the 20th century onwards the library grew thanks to major gifts. The collection did not settle in its current location until 1974. A renovation in 2016 finally allowed the library to enjoy more space for welcoming readers and for shelving.

A collection rich in gifts

Our collection has come together over time thanks to some exceptional gifts. Thousands of works come from private collections, especially those of Emile Burnat (1920), the De Candolle family (1921) and Edmond Boissier (1943).

Since then the City of Geneva has been the custodian of these treasures and allows new publications to be bought, so the library remains at the cutting edge of scientific knowledge. These days, around 1,000 works are acquired each year.

A collection with different themes

The library of the CJBG aims to bring together all works on the taxonomy of plants and mushrooms, and of flora around the world. Other themes include the history of botany, horticulture, ecology, ethno-botany and plant geography.

The open access collection, our books that aim to popularise botany, cover these themes in a way that makes them accessible to the general public.