Behind-the-Scenes is a series in which we share stories of the work we do hidden from view, and more recently what we accomplished during our year-long hiatus from public service.
The Kiplinger Research Library is reopening on August 27th—Support our efforts and help us cross the finish line! Learn more at our Crowdrise page.
Research, At Your Service
We are thrilled to welcome researchers back into the Kiplinger Research Library as of August 27th, 2019. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. holds all of its collections in trust for the public. That means everything we do to take in, organize, describe, rehouse, store, reproduce, and otherwise care for collections is in service of maintaining the items for today’s researchers and future generations.
What to Expect
Access to the Kiplinger Research Library is by appointment, Tuesday-Friday between 10am and 4pm. Researchers are served by professional librarians and trained volunteers, including retired librarians and skilled researchers, as well as graduate and undergraduates interns.
The Kiplinger Research Library has a new and improved layout! The front section will service same-day appointments for ready reference materials and double as a program space for classes and orientations. In the rear section, patrons with advance appointments can access archival and photographic materials. Thanks to the new layout, we can host classes and patrons with advance appointments simultaneously. Hooray!
Same-day appointments can be requested for ready reference resources such as general local history books and genealogy indices, a special section of books formerly maintained by the News Research Division of The Washington Post, the entire run of the Records of the Columbia Historical Society and Washington History, and a reference set of the uber-popular John P. Wymer photograph collection.
Those interested in maps, house history research, and neighborhood development will be thrilled to know that Sanborn fire insurance atlases volumes 1 – 10 are now available in the ready reference section. While the Sanborn atlases have been in our collection for years, until now we did not have the proper storage rack to house them in the reading room. The much-used Baist and Hopkins real estate atlases from 1887 through the 1960s will also be available in this section of the reading room (help us to continue to preserve these vital resources).
Advance appointments are required for access to all other collections, such as manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, books and other printed materials, maps, city directories, ephemera, artwork, and the prized Kiplinger Washington Collection.
When scheduling an appointment, patrons will have a “reference interview” with a librarian, where they discuss their research topic, pinpoint the materials they are interested in, and learn how to search the online catalog. The purpose of the reference interview is to teach the researcher how to navigate our collections and provide any supporting documents they may need such as finding aids, research guides, and indices.
Once the researcher has identified specific materials they would like to access, they submit a list of those materials to the librarian who will have those materials ready for their scheduled appointment. Pulling material in advance of scheduled appointments allow us to properly allocate the limited staff, protect the collections, and make efficient use of the researcher’s time.
For research inquiries or to request an appointment, email library@dchistory.org or call 202-516-1363 ext. 302. Interested in making an appointment and don’t know where to start? Search the online catalog to browse our resources.
Stay tuned for next week’s blog about new discoveries and old favorites available for research in the Kiplinger Research Library! Please consider donating to our fundraising campaign that directly supports the library’s reopening needs. Access to the library will always be free; if you have found research services helpful, and would like to support continued services, please show your support as well. Every donation, no matter how small, helps us better serve our D.C. history community.