General Info

The American Antiquarian Society is an independent research library founded in 1812 in Worcester, Mass. The library's collections document the life of America's people from the colonial era through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Its collections include books, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, broadsides, manuscripts, music, graphic arts and local histories. The American Antiquarian Society collects and preserves the printed record of what is now the United States of America from the first European settlement through the year 1876. It offers a wide variety of programs for diverse audiences, including scholars; pre-collegiate, undergraduate and graduate level students; and educators, professional artists and writers, genealogists and the general public. The library s collections include more than 3 million books, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, graphic arts materials and manuscripts housed on over 25 miles of shelving. It is affiliated with several organizations, such as the American Council of Learned Societies, the Association of Research Institutes in Art History and the Independent Research Libraries Association.