A coalition of activists and archivists has opened a pop-up library in Manhattan to display the Epstein Files in a physical format.
The installation, titled “The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room,” serves as a tangible representation of the massive volume of data released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. By converting digital records into physical books, organizers aim to illustrate the scale of the evidence for scholars, journalists, and the general public.
The display consists of roughly 3.5 million pages of documents [1]. These records have been organized and bound into 3,437 volumes [1], creating a physical archive that visitors can browse within the temporary space.
The reading room first opened in early March 2024 [1]. It is located in New York City, where the bound volumes are arranged to provide a sense of the sheer magnitude of the legal and investigative materials involved in the case.
Organizers said the purpose of the project is to give the public a way to engage with the material that goes beyond scrolling through digital files. The physical presence of the 3,437 volumes [1] is intended to prevent the scale of the documentation from being overlooked or minimized in digital archives.
Because the files are bound into books, the installation allows researchers to see the breadth of the Epstein Files Transparency Act's impact. The project transforms a legal disclosure into a public exhibit, emphasizing the archival nature of the records in the heart of the U.S. financial district.
“roughly 3.5 million pages of documents”
The transition of digital legal disclosures into a physical library highlights a growing trend in archival activism. By manifesting millions of pages as physical volumes, the organizers are attempting to create a permanent psychological impact on the viewer that digital databases cannot achieve, ensuring the scale of the Epstein investigation remains visible in the public consciousness.
