Special Collections
Mission
The mission of the William Munroe Special Collections is to collect, preserve, make accessible, and interpret its primary and secondary source materials documenting Concord history, literature, culture, social and political life, government, people, and landscape and includes related works of art, sculpture, and any other objects or materials at any time owned, given to, purchased by or on loan to or under the care custody or control of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation (herein “Special Collections”).
Special Collections are overseen by the Library Corporation’s Special Collections Committee and curated by the Curator of the William Munroe Special Collections.
Collecting Areas
From time to time, additions are made to Special Collections by various means, including loan, gift, and purchase. Subject to approval of the Library Corporation, additions may include: print materials, books and other publications, (including those of local authors), personal and family papers, manuscripts, business records, church records, organizational and institutional records, pamphlets, ephemera, broadsides and posters, maps and atlases; printed town reports and directories; photographs in all formats, postcards, historic building sources; scrapbooks, newspapers and periodicals, yearbooks, oral history materials, audiovisual materials in all formats, and other materials, including works of art, sculptures, and other objects. Additions to holdings should relate to Concord History and complement or enhance existing holdings.
The Library Corporation does not provide valuations of materials or objects added to Special Collections, as valuation is the sole responsibility of the donor or vendor.
Access
Special Collections holdings are made available as a research resource, subject to its regulations, to all who have interest in Concord history including, without limitation, teachers and students at all levels; scholars, authors, researchers, genealogists; libraries, museum and other accredited institutions; Concord Town officers, employees, committees; residents, businesses, organizations; and producers of documentary films and other educational programs relating to Concord.
Although Special Collections does not include sources written specifically for young researchers, high school and adult-supervised middle and elementary school students are welcome to use them for assignments and projects.
Historic Town Records
By agreement with the Town of Concord, the Library Corporation, in collaboration with the Town Clerk and its Municipal Archivist, Special Collections, also holds permanent and historically significant records of the Town of Concord government. These are available to the public, subject to the applicable regulations of the Town, the State of Massachusetts, the Library Corporation, and Special Collections.
Guidelines For Use
Readers are requested to handle Special Collections materials with care and to adhere to local rules governing their use. No item from the Special Collections may circulate. It is the researcher's responsibility to understand and observe copyright law. Reproductions may be made at the staff's discretion —in some cases, only by staff members, depending on the condition or rarity of the item. For certain types of use, researchers may be asked to complete and sign a Researcher Registration Form. Acknowledgments in publications and papers should include citations of the specific item(s) used and reference to the Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library.