Smithsonian Libraries Joins Global Philatelic Libraries Partnership

The Smithsonian Libraries has partnered with preeminent philatelic libraries around the world to provide a centralized gateway to the greatest philatelic research in existence. Founding partners in the initiative include the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum and Smithsonian Libraries, Washington, DC, the Royal Philatelic Society London, United Kingdom, and the American Philatelic Research Library, Bellefonte, PA. The goal of the project is to establish a single destination—a centralized gateway— by which  philatelists around the world can search, locate and access philatelic research from partner libraries in real-time, from any computer. Searchable listings of books and publications, as well as resource locations and access, will soon be one click away, providing an invaluable resource to those doing  philatelic research. Major pre-1923 publications, including The Stamp-Collector’s Magazine, Illustrated, London, from 1865 – 1874, have been digitized and will be made available at no charge.  Other resources considered proprietary by partnering libraries may also be accessed through membership programs and other avenues via the centralized gateway, which is planned to launch in  June. Other partners participating in the project include, Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library, Denver, CO; Slusser Memorial Library, Postal History Foundation Library, Tucson, AZ; The Collectors Club Library, New York; Harry Sutherland Philatelic Library, Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research  Foundation, Toronto, Canada; and Western Philatelic Library, Sunnyvale, CA.