Leavenworth Public Library launches local history collection

Leavenworth Public Library is debuting a new Leavenworth Local History collection. When the Leavenworth Library’s Branch Librarian, Amy Massey, started in her current role in 2021, she quickly discovered a local treasure in her stacks, a copy of Fred Becky and Eric Bjornstad’s original climbing guide, published by The Mountaineers in 1965. She was inspired to begin a year-long project of gathering as many of these books as she could find at her branch and in the NCW Libraries archives. She has pulled together books on local history, mountain trails, mining and homesteading, and on the families who built this community. She has placed those materials together in a special location  at the Leavenworth Library. Some books may be checked out, but the more fragile, irreplaceable and self-published books are tagged as “Library Use Only” to best preserve and protect them. Massey is excited for this collection to continue growing.

Preserving local stories, voices, and experiences and making them available to current and future generations is a priority for NCW Libraries. In addition to this new collection in Leavenworth, NCW Libraries has a long tradition of gathering local history for the Northwest Collection, currently housed at Wenatchee Public Library. The collection features 5,407 books and materials about the district’s 5 county service area as well as Washington in general.

NCW Libraries website offers many resources for connecting to local history including the Washington State Library’s collection of digitized historic newspapers from across Washington state. The IRIS NCW Collection, a database of hundreds of oral histories, stories, and other content. The North Central Washington Heritage page of the Washington Rural Heritage site that documents the early culture, industry, and community life of Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, and Okanogan counties. All of these resources and more can be found at www.ncwlibraries.org/online-resources/.

Visit the Leavenworth Public Library to learn more about the Leavenworth Local History Collection.

About NCW Libraries: NCW Libraries mission is to connect the people of North Central Washington to vital resources and opportunities that foster individual growth and strengthen communities. NCW Libraries operates 30 community libraries across Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan, and Ferry counties. The organization provides service to the region’s most rural residents through a Mail Order Library service and two community Bookmobiles.