Special Collections

In 1977, Jacob Greenberg endowed the Fine Arts Department with a trust fund established in memory of his deceased spouse, Lurine Karon Greenberg. This fund supports the collection of nonfiction books on music, art, antiques, architecture, cooking, and travel including the history of any of these subjects and biographies of persons connected with any of these subjects. Through the years the trust has increased substantially, enabling the Library to purchase important books that contribute to the stature of our collections. The Lurine Karon Greenberg Fine Arts Collection consists of numerous publications in the disciplines of architecture, art, antiques and music. With the ongoing support of the established endowment maintained by the Greenberg family, the Library continues to acquire nonfiction books of outstanding quality and merit. In addition, the Greenberg Endowment supports free access for all Houston Public Library cardholders to two significant online databases: Grove Dictionary of Art Online and Grove Dictionary of Music Online.

Grove Art Online is the most comprehensive and authoritative online resource for all research in the history of the visual arts.

• 45,000 articles.
• over 2,500 thumbnail art images and line drawings.
• extensive image links to over 40,000 art images on museum and gallery Web sites around the world.

Grove Music Online covers the entire history of music from Bach to the Blues.

• 50,000 articles including more than 28,000 biographies.
• Listen to over 500 examples of different types of music.
• View 3-D interactive images of musical instruments.
• Find links to more than 3,000 music-related Web sites.

Access to these databases is provided to all Houston Public Library PowerCard holders through the support and generosity of the Greenberg Endowment, supporting the Library's collection in the areas of music, art, antiques, architecture, cooking, and travel.
 

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE GREENBERG COLLECTION