Administrative Information
Provenance
Beginning in 1953, and continuing until 1967, Leonard Bernstein gave many of his most significant music manuscripts to the Library of Congress; between 1965 and 1983, Bernstein gave 104 scrapbooks to the Library (five additional scrapbooks were given by Brandeis University in 1973). Other sources of material: Helen Coates, Bernstein's longtime friend and secretary, left Bernstein related items to the Library in her will (received in 1991); 1991 and 1993 gifts of the Springate Corporation (representatives of the Bernstein estate); in 1997, Burton Bernstein, brother of Leonard Bernstein, gave the Library ninety-five additional items to add to the Bernstein Collection, originally from their mother's apartment. The Bernstein estate donated approximately 1,500 additional letters to the collection in 2011.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
Processing History
Work began on the processing of the Leonard Bernstein Collection soon after the bulk of the materials began arriving in 1993. In the years that have followed, innumerable people have worked on the processing of the collection and the writing and coding of its finding aid, including specialists, technicians, fellows, and interns. It is a collection that continues to grow, with rarely a year passing without significant additions to the collection. The finding aid is continually updated to reflect newly acquired materials that have been processed. There are still portions of the collection not yet processed or whose descriptions have not yet been added to the finding aid. Consult a reference librarian in the Music Division for more information about these materials.
Transfers
Commercial and non-commercial recordings and other audiovisual materials from the Leonard Bernstein Collection have been transferred to the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, where they are identified as part of the Leonard Bernstein Collection (MAVIS collection no. 2511).
Digital Files
Digital files regarding Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts were received on floppy disks. Access to digital content is available onsite only in the Performing Arts Reading Room and requires advance notice. Consult Music Division reference staff for more information.
Microfilm
All of the scrapbooks have been preserved on microfilm because of their fragile nature (Microfilm 99/20002 [MUS]).
Online Content
Digitized images along with identifying information and a narrative introduction are also available through the Library of Congress Web site under the title: The Leonard Bernstein Collection at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/collmus.mu000003.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item, date, container number], Leonard Bernstein Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.