Collections

The Library manages numerous requests for information on a variety of levels, whether it be a visiting scholar wishing to examine 16th century numismatic works, an advertising firm charged with developing a client logo based upon numismatic representations, a casual visitor with an accumulation of coins to identify, or school groups and numismatic clubs who visit the Society.

To service this clientele, the Library maintains a core collection of the early works on numismatics as well as the key numismatic references published over the centuries. The Library collections do not have geographical or chronological limitations and many of these works have come from the private numismatic libraries of distinguished numismatists and collectors, including those of Edgar H. Adams, William S. Appleton, Harry W. Bass, David M. Bullowa, John S. Davenport, Archer M. Huntington, Richard Hoe Lawrence, George C. Miles, Edward T. Newell, Daniel Parish and Isaac F. Wood.

Some 267 current periodical titles - many dealing with the related fields of archaeology, economic history, and art history - are received, and 130 dealers regularly send their auction catalogs and fixed price lists to the Library. On average, the Library acquires some 600 books, 200 pamphlets, 800 periodical issues, 350 auction catalogs, and 325 fixed price lists annually. For the past several years, the Library has cataloged approximately 5000 items annually.

The Library acquires materials in most formats, including monographs, periodicals, manuscripts, archives, photographs, pamphlets, audio-visual materials, microforms, prints and other works on paper, machine-readable records (online and CD- ROM), and selected memorabilia.

Cataloging

In order to maintain consistency in its cataloging, the library employs the "List of Subject Headings for Specialized Collections in Numismatics". This "List" was compiled by library staff during the period 1978-1987, with funds received in three successive grants awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. As one of the world's leading centers of numismatic research, the Library of the Society has developed a subject cataloging system, the specificity of which is of great value to scholars. The system grew out of a need to facilitate access to the 100,000 items held by the Library and to accommodate the cataloging of thousands of numismatic articles in the 267 periodicals which the Library regularly receives. The resulting list includes some 18,000 records comprising over 12,000 subject headings and more than 5000 "See" references. Included under the subject headings are more than 2000 "Scope" and other "Notes" and approximately 2400 "See also" references.