Leahy Library, Vermont History Center, Barre
In 2000, the VHS acquired the old Spaulding School in Barre, which was been renovated to house the library, Vermont Heritage Galleries, collections, and administrative offices. In July 2002 the VHS's library opened to the public on the second floor of the newly named Vermont History Center. In November 2007 the library was named the Howard and Alba Leahy Library.
The VHS library is a place to explore Vermont's rich heritageThe Leahy Library of the Vermont Historical Society, open to the public four days a week, is a center for individualized research and discovery. The curious researcher will find a variety of resources documenting the history and people of Vermont, including a collection of books and pamphlets dating from the 1770s to the present. The voices, ideas and commerce of the past are preserved here in unique letters, diaries, ledgers and scrapbooks. Some of Vermont's earliest maps and planning documents are available here. Extensive photograph and broadside collections create a visual record of the state's past.
With a special interest in family history, the library has the largest printed genealogical collection in the state. This is the place for genealogists, researchers and students to leave the present behind and explore Vermont's rich heritage.
Books and pamphlets
The library has a wealth of research resources.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 noncirculating research library, so no materials leave our building.
Periodicals
The VHS library is a place of discovery for all ages.
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.
