About Leahy Library Resources

Books and pamphlets

The largest group of materials in the library are books and pamphlets that date from the 1770s to the present and cover all aspects of Vermont history. The library also has materials related to the history of other New England states, northeastern New York State, and neighboring Canada.

Books are cataloged in the online catalog and main card catalog.  Not all materials are listed in both places, so both catalogs need to be consulted.  There are special sections in the catalogs for Vermont biographies and imprints. An annotated copy of Marcus McCorrison's Vermont Imprints, 1778-1820 can help researchers locate early printed materials.

The Leahy Library collections complement holdings at other institutions such as the Vermont Department of Libraries, UVM’s Department of Special Collections, the Sheldon Museum, and the Bennington Museum.

The Leahy Library of the Vermont Historical Society is a non-circulating research library, so no materials leave our building.

Th Library has a wealth of research resources.

Manuscripts

The manuscript collection contains unique hand- and typewritten letters, diaries, account books, records of governments and organizations, and research notes. The collection is particularly strong in family history, agriculture, railroads, personal accounts of military conflicts, religion, emigration, government and politics, and early crafts and trades.

Items in the manuscript collection can be identified through online catalog and through the Brigham Index and Calendars in the library. Only a small portion of the library’s manuscript holdings are in the online catalog.  Researchers can also explore recently processed manuscripts on this website . 

Maps

Among the maps at the Leahy Library are some of the earliest maps of Vermont, Wallings county maps (1850s), Beers atlases (1870s), and state highway maps. The collection includes railroad maps, highway department county maps, U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps, and the Dewart Collection of copies of early town lotting plans. Most maps are listed in the card catalog and a copy of David A. Cobb's Vermont Maps Prior to 1900 has been annotated with the library's call numbers.  Most of the library’s maps are in the online catalog .

Photographs

The photograph collection may be the library's most popular holding. Among the most important images in the collection are the earliest known photographic views of Vermont, taken by Thomas Easterly about 1845. The library also has the glass plate negatives of Will D. Chandler and R. C. Bristol, the Civil War scenes of George H. Houghton, the covered bridge photographs of Edmund H. Royce, and the Vermont Album collection assembled by Ralph Nading Hill. The majority of the photographs are arranged in the picture file by size and subject; stereoviews and postcards are filed separately. Finding aids include a subject heading list and an index to portraits. A photographic duplication service is available for a fee. None of the library’s photographs are cataloged online; some are included in UVM’s Landscape Change database .  Visit our image galleries on this web site to see a sampling our our collections.

The VHS library is a place of discovery for all ages.

Broadsides

The Vermont Historical Society has an extensive collection of Vermont broadsides, posters, and flat paper ephemera dating from the late eighteenth century to the present. All broadsides prior to 1820 and other significant broadsides are cataloged; others are not cataloged but are arranged by size and subject. A guide to the broadside collection is available in the library.

Periodicals

The Vermont Historical Society library subscribes to and collects general-interest Vermont periodicals, scholarly history journals, museum magazines, and newsletters from historical societies across the state. The card catalog includes entries for articles on Vermont subjects from non-Vermont scholarly journals, The Vermonter (1895-1946), and early issues of Vermont Life. Also available in the library are indexes to the Society's periodicals, Vermont History and Vermont History News.

Sheet music

The library houses about 300 pieces of Vermont-related sheet music cataloged in the online catalog by title, composer, lyricist, subject, and date. There is also a printed user's guide for the sheet music collection.

Other collections

The library has films, videotapes, records, and audiotapes about Vermont subjects; oral history tapes created primarily in the 1970s; over 300 reels of microfilm (much of it copies of material not available elsewhere in the library); vertical files of newspaper clippings and un-cataloged materials on Vermont and selected non-Vermont topics; architectural drawings, and a collection of Vermont bumper stickers.

Research assistance

The library staff is ready to help with the materials and research tools in the library and can make referrals to other collections and institutions. Volunteers assist with written responses to genealogy inquiries to the library. There is a $15.00 research fee for up to 20 minutes of work and up to 10 photocopied pages; more specific inquiries are more productive than general ones.

Gifts

The Vermont Historical Society welcomes monetary donations, personal and family papers, business and organization records, published works, and research studies that fit the Society's collecting interests. Because of limited funds and potential conflicts of interest, the Society cannot appraise or hire appraisers of gifts. Donors should consult outside advisers concerning the deductibility of their gifts.