But because so many of the leading figures in California's history were still alive, Bancroft had the opportunity to accumulate original documents, such as those of General Mariano Guadelupe Vallejo, and the estate of Sir James Douglas, governor of British Columbia. Bancroft's history project was completed in 1894. Realizing the value of his collection to posterity, he sought a permanent home for it, eventually selling it for a fraction of its value to the University of California, with the provision that it be maintained as a separate library. and that the core collection be added to over time. First housed in the attic of California Hall, and then in the Doe Library, The Bancroft Library moved into its present quarters in 1973. The Bancroft Library now includes the Mark Twain Papers and Project , the Regional Oral History Office , the University of California Archives , the History of Science and Technology Program , and the Pictorial Collection .
Manuscripts are unique items.
Most of the Library's manuscripts are organized into collections named for the individual or group directly responsible for creating or collecting the materials. These may be large organizations, such as the Sierra Club or the Crown Zellerbach Corporation, or the personal papers of individuals like labor leader C.L. Dellums or California governor Hiram Johnson. Some collections may consist of a single item or small portfolio, while others encompass hundreds of cartons. Among The Bancroft Library's manuscripts are over 1500 oral histories. These are tape-recorded interviews with individuals, conducted by the Regional Oral History Office since 1954, transcribed, edited, indexed, and bound.