Containing the archives and library of the field research departments of the California Academy of Sciences dating back to its start in 1853, the research department located on the back side of the museum continues its work to this day.

Home to several active departments including Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, Vertebrate Zoology and Anthropology, it also includes one of the world’s largest Herpetology Collections, as well as the Academy’s Research Library and historic archives.

Today, over 300,761 specimens have been cataloged in the Department of Herpetology.

The library, which dates back to the founding in 1853, is devoted to natural history and the natural sciences, and is available to Academy researchers and by special appointment to outside researchers.