“The National Park libraries,” says Nancy Hori, supervisory librarian at the National Park Service (NPS) Pacific West Regional Library in Seattle, “are in some of the most beautiful and sacred areas of the United States. The remote locations, often in historical buildings without climate control, present many challenges for keeping materials safe and secure.” As part of the NPS, they are government and public libraries, house special collections, and in many cases serve as museum libraries. The librarians, curators, and rangers who oversee the NPS libraries provide a way for visitors to connect with a place, an event, or local history that is unique. We’ve chosen a few across the country for you to consider on your next national park visit, each featuring something special: history, architecture, collections, or just a gorgeous location.
Statue of Liberty National Monument New York and New Jersey
Bob Hope Memorial Library
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
nps.gov/elis/historyculture/bob-hope-memorial-library.htm
The well-known entertainer for whom this library is named passed through Ellis Island as a child. Every day hundreds of visitors tour an exhibit featuring the honorary Oscar awarded to Bob Hope in 1960, part of the library and museum’s permanent collection. Librarians here are skilled researchers and scholars. While no original immigration records are located in the library, the librarians often help visitors locate resources for information about family members who came to the US through this gateway. Unique materials in the collection include 2,000 oral histories and many early 20th-century films featuring Ellis Island.
Editor’s Note: Hurricane Sandy flooded the basement of the building on Ellis Island and destroyed the utilities. Luckily, the third-floor library and materials are safely intact, reports librarian Barry Moreno. While it is uncertain when the library will open its doors, the Statue of Liberty should reopen later this year.Stay updated at twitter.com/EllisIslandNPS.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Science and Learning Center Library
nps.gov/crla/slc.htm
Richard M. Brown Memorial Library, Steel Visitor Center
nps.gov/crla/slcfacilities.htm
One of the two libraries located in the park, the SLC library is housed in a carefully restored Rustic Style building. This architectural style emphasizes the use of natural building materials and is common in the national parks. The heart of the SLC collection consists of reprints of classic papers written in the park’s early years and the most recent scientific papers pertaining to the park and its environment. In addition, reference books and reports serve the needs of visiting researchers, park staff, and Learning Center program participants. Librarian Jordan Yee noted that the collections and services mark the important role science plays in the national parks. This library is open only in the summer.
In contrast, the Richard M. Brown Memorial Library mainly serves park employees, but park visitors may find the oral history interviews interesting, or may wish to page through Nature Notes from Crater Lake, published irregularly from 1928 to 2002. Completed in 1934, this Rustic Style building was formerly the ranger dormitory. Steel Visitor Center is open every day except Christmas. Visitors to the library are encouraged to make an appointment.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park Research Library
Park Headquarters, Grand Canyon, Arizona
nps.gov/grca/historyculture/reslib.htm
Pose for a photo at Mather Point, with its mile-high view above the Colorado River, or gaze at the California condors if they are out and about. Then mosey over to the headquarters building, where more than 12,000 books, manuscripts, and oral histories on area geology, history, environment, and native peoples await at the Grand Canyon National Park Research Library. The library also features a small children’s collection. While the general public can’t check out materials, everyone is welcome to browse. There’s Wi-Fi access, too. Park librarian Ted McClure points out that there are many one-of-a-kind materials, including manuscripts and oral histories in the rare books collection, viewable by appointment only. The research library is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Research Library, Yosemite Village
Yosemite Archives, El Portal, California
nps.gov/yose/historyculture/collections.htm
LeConte Memorial Lodge
Located across from the Housekeeping Camp
sierraclub.org/education/leconte/library.asp
Located in the heart of the valley, the Yosemite Research Library is administered by the Yosemite Museum in a historic Rustic Style building. The library has about 10,000 books relevant to the natural and human history of the park, including many unique published personal accounts of trips around the world or across the West that mention Yosemite (1870s–1920s). There is larger archive maintained in the small town of El Portal that preserves personal papers, manuscript collections, and service records. Hours at both facilities are limited, so check the website or call for an appointment.
In addition to the two official NPS collections, the small library in the Sierra Club’s LeConte Memorial Lodge features materials on park history, biology, botany, and geology. The collection of children’s material is popular with park visitors. The lodge is open May through September, Wednesday through Sunday.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Maritime Library, Fort Mason Center
nps.gov/safr/historyculture/library-collections.htm
Librarians at the Fort Mason Center, where the library is located, take pride in the extensive collection of photographs—nearly 400,000 strong—and ship plans, from one-masted boats to massive battleships. The reading room serves as a portal to a large collection of books, titles, maps, and charts, which are available by paging. The oldest item in the library dates from 1536: a history discussing sea terms. While the library is open to the public, access to archival collections is available only by appointment.
The holdings of the national park libraries can be searched online at: library.nps.gov/webvoy.htm.
MARYANN HIGHT is a reference and instruction librarian at California State University, Stanislaus. While embracing the opportunities presented by technology, she works to promote the traditional values of libraries.
