Make a Donation

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Thank you for your interest in supporting the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). BHL is a consortium of natural history institutions that cooperate to digitize the biodiversity literature in their collections and make it freely available online at www.biodiversitylibrary.org.

By providing free access to biodiversity knowledge, BHL is helping scientists identify and conserve life on Earth. Scientists have long considered that insufficient access to the published literature, much of which is available in only a few select libraries in the developed world, is one of the chief impediments to the efficiency of research in the field. By removing boundaries to access, BHL is repatriating knowledge to all parts of the globe, strengthening scientific and conservation efforts on every continent.

BHL relies on donations from users like you to continue our mission. Your tax-deductible donations will help pay for the cost to digitize additional texts, improve data curation, and fund technical development for the BHL program. Together, we can help build a better future for all biodiversity.


Donations to BHL will be processed through the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, which hosts the BHL Secretariat and program staff. The Smithsonian Institution is a tax-exempt organization and gifts are tax deductible. We cannot direct donations to specific items at this time. Work may take place at any of the cooperating institutions. Comments about the Biodiversity Heritage Library can be made via the BHL feedback link.

For questions about gifts, or other ways you can support the BHL, please visit Ways to Give.