The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center has received a $60 million gift from an anonymous donor, the largest single donation in its history.

Per The New York Times, the funding will launch a multi-year effort to preserve, catalog, and digitize the library’s collection of 15 million items related to theater, dance, and music. Only a small fraction of the collection is currently digitized. Part of the gift will go toward preserving fragile physical items at risk of deterioration and toward updating the library’s digital infrastructure, including the systems used to catalog and search materials.

Per an official press release issued by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, executive director Roberta Pereira said, “The performing arts belong to everyone, and breaking down barriers to accessing these one-of-a-kind materials enriches our entire community. Thanks to this historic gift, we will be able to share our archive with people locally and around the world and on their timeline — thus connecting today’s audiences, tomorrow’s artists and lifelong learners directly to our extraordinary treasures.”

The gift follows the library’s 60th anniversary in 2025, the same year it received a Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre. The library opened in 1965 and is part of the New York Public Library.