United States Library Directories and Major Libraries

This page:
Web Directories | National and State Libraries | Major University Libraries | Major Public Libraries | Independent Research Libraries | Membership Libraries

Web Directories

• Libcat: Libraries in the United States (Metronet, Minn.)
• Libdex: USA

Find Your Nearest Library:

(Enter city and state or Zip code. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Education)

City:
State (Use 2-letter abbreviation):
Zip:





Union Catalogs:

• English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC) - Catalog of books published in Britain and its dependencies between 1473 and 1800. Includes holdings information for libraries in the British Isles, North America, and elsewhere. This is a fabulous resource for anyone doing historical or literary research! (More about the ESTC)

National and State Libraries

Library of Congress:

• Library of Congress home page
• LC Publications
• Collection Development and Policies
• Doing Research at the Library of Congress: A Guide to Subject Searching in a Closed Stacks Library
• Services for Librarians and Archivists
• Jefferson's Legacy: A History of the Library of Congress
• Library of Congress Exhibitions
• On These Walls: Inscriptions and Quotations in the Buildings of the Library of Congress
• Fascinating Facts about the Library of Congress

LC Catalogs and Databases:

• LC Online Catalogs - Including specialized catalogs of prints, photographs, and audio items
• Z39.50 Gateway to the main catalog
• LC MARC Bibliographic File - Loaded by DRA and not affiliated with LC; I don't know how complete this is, but it could be useful if LC's own catalog is overloaded.
• Databases and E-Resources - Some of the electronic resources listed are only available at LC — but they might be available in your library, too — but others are free on the Web
• National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) - Catalog of archives at hundreds of institutions, as well as LC

Rare Books and Manuscripts:

• Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room
• Manuscript Reading Room

Thomas Jefferson's Library:

After the Library of Congress was burned in 1815, Thomas Jefferson's personal collection formed the nucleus of the new library.

• Jefferson's Library (Library of Congress exhibit)
• Thomas Jefferson's Library (LC special collection, with an online version of the annotated bibliography compiled by E. Millicent Sowerby)
• Other catalogs of the collection:
• Jefferson's Catalog of Books, c.1775-1812 - Jefferson's own handwritten list (Massachusetts Historical Society)
• Thomas Jefferson's Library: A Catalog with the Entries in His Own Order - A reconstruction of the catalog Jefferson sent with his books
• Thomas Jefferson's library on LibraryThing
• See also LC Classification and LC Subject Headings

National Libraries (Subject):

• National Agricultural Library
• National Library of Education
• National Library of Medicine
• Turning the Pages lets users view rare books owned by the National Library of Medicine
• Smithsonian Institution Libraries

National Archives and Records Administration:

• National Archives home page
• Presidential Libraries - Libraries devoted to the administrations of Presidents Hoover through Clinton

Unofficial Presidential Libraries:

I.e., not under the auspices of the National Archives.

• Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Library, Fremont, Ohio
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, Springfield, Ill.
• Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Va.




State Libraries:

• State Library Web Sites (LibrarySpot)

Web Directory:

• USA.Gov: Libraries

Major University Libraries

• University of Califonia, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Chicago
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Harvard University
• University of Illinois
• Indiana University
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• Princeton University
• Stanford University
• University of Texas
• Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center - Holds the papers of many great American and British authors
• UTopia - Online exhibits from U.T.'s collections
• University of Washington
• University of Wisconsin
• Yale University
• Center for Research Libraries - The research library's research library

Web Directories:

• Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Member Libraries
• ARL Statistics
• Directory of North American Research Libraries - Includes the members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Independent Research Libraries Association (IRLA)
• USA Academic Libraries (Libweb)

Major Public Libraries

• Boston Public Library
• Brooklyn Public Library
• Chicago Public Library
• County of Los Angeles Public Library
• Los Angeles Public Library
• Free Library of Philadelphia
• Queens Borough Public Library

This list formerly included a library better known for its innovative cataloging practices than for its large collection. I have removed that library due to reports that it is not what it once was. You can still see the old catalog, though.

Web Directories:

• Public Library Geographic Database - Maps based on the U.S. Dept. of Education data
• Search for Public Libraries (National Center for Education Statistics)
• USA Public Libraries (Libweb)

Public Library Comparisons:

• Henen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR)
• Public Library Peer Comparison Tool (National Center for Education Statistics)

Independent Research Libraries

Americana:

• American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass. - The Library's catalog contains a complete record of early American imprints to 1830
• John Carter Brown Library, Providence, R.I. - Pre-1825 works on the Americas

Art and Rare Books:

• Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities Research Library, Los Angeles - The collection covers "a comprehensive representation of art and cultural production since antiquity"; significant holdings and database of art auction catalogs
• Pierpont Morgan Library, New York - Rare books and manuscripts from the Medieval era to the 20th century, musical works, early children's books.
• Rosenbach Museum and Library, Philadelphia - Books and manuscripts from the collection of the legendary dealer, A. S. W. Rosenbach. Also art collected by his brother, Philip.

Humanities:

• Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, Washington, D.C. - Byzantine studies, pre-Columbian studies, landscape architecture
• Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif. - Concentrates on British and American literature; history of the West, especially California
• Newberry Library, Chicago - Especially strong in the American West; Portuguese, Brazilian, and Mexican history; history of printing; history of cartography

  Science and Technology:

• American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia - History of science, medicine, and technology
• Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Mo. - Science, engineering, and technology, including extensive holdings of engineering standards and the collections of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Engineering Societies Library
• See also Water and other science & technology libraries

  Shakespeare and His Times:

• Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C. - World's largest collection of Shakespeare's works, rare Renaissance books and volumes in all disciplines, art works, musical instruments, costumes, and films

Web Directories:

• Independent Research Libraries Association (IRLA)
• Private Libraries in New York (City Legacy)
• See also Subject-Matter Library Associations

Membership Libraries

• Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, La Jolla, Calif.
• Athenæum of Philadelphia - Collections on architecture and interior design
• Boston Athenæum - Independent membership library specializing in U.S. and British history, literature, and arts
• Charleston Library Society
• General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen Library, New York
• Library Company of Philadelphia - American history and culture from the 17th to 19th centuries
• Mechanics Institute Library of San Francisco
• Mercantile Library, Cincinnati
• Mercantile Library of New York - "The best fiction library in America"
• New York Society Library
• Providence Athenæum, Providence, R.I.
• Redwood Library and Athenæum, Newport, R.I.
• Salem Athenæum, Salem, Mass.

  Web Directories:

• Membership Library Information - What a membership library is, with a list of surviving membership libraries (Redwood Library)
• Membership Libraries (New York Society Library)
• U.S. Membership Libraries (Mercantile Library of New York)