Special Collections

Digitizing Ex Libris: The Helen Pearson Bookplate Collection

October 27, 2017

The primary mission of the Digitized Collections at Portsmouth Public Library is to optimize access to our local history collections while preserving the same for future generations. Our latest project in Special Collections is the addition of the Helen Pearson Bookplate Collection. This collection consists of 336+ historic bookplates, amassed and originally organized by local … More Digitizing Ex Libris: The Helen Pearson Bookplate Collection

Special Collections Update

May 1, 2017

The Special Collections room has been buzzing with activity in 2017 and the spring weather seemed like a perfect time to share what’s new! In March we received a couple of surprise gifts to our local history collection as well as a few favorite additions to the book collection. Thank you to all the donors! … More Special Collections Update

Special Collections Stays Vertical

May 24, 2016

What was New Hampshire Fast Day? Did a tornado really destroy the navy yard? What year was Portsmouth’s first female mayor elected? Which historic homes in Portsmouth are haunted? What information do you have about the penny poet of Portsmouth? This handful of questions are just a few (and definitely fun ones) that staff has … More Special Collections Stays Vertical

Research Tips From Richard: Create Your Own Encyclopedia – The Wisdom of Keeping a Journal

January 11, 2016

When I ask people if they keep a journal, they usually answer, “No, I don’t,” and the conversation drifts off to another topic. In this electronic age with computers, e-mails, recorded telephone calls, video tapes, disks and drives, and an endless arsenal of gadgetry, I suppose some technocrats consider journals obsolete, nearing even extinction. I … More Research Tips From Richard: Create Your Own Encyclopedia – The Wisdom of Keeping a Journal

Special Collections Bears a Hand: Caring for Captain Adams’ Collection

November 23, 2015

The overarching function of Special Collections at Portsmouth Public Library has always persisted in the preservation, dissemination and accessibility of our local history holdings. In recent years, Special Collections has begun to shift to the preservation of the collections through digital formats and online exhibits to make these more widely available. There are currently several collections … More Special Collections Bears a Hand: Caring for Captain Adams’ Collection

Research Tips from Richard: Ship Ahoy, Mate! Confessions of a Marine/Maritime/Naval Historian

October 16, 2015

Why would someone become a marine/maritime/naval historian? In my case, the choice of my career has seemed, in retrospect, almost preordained. My father was a career Naval Officer. I have also lived in seacoast New Hampshire for most of my life, nearby to the Port of Portsmouth, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Thus, the local research … More Research Tips from Richard: Ship Ahoy, Mate! Confessions of a Marine/Maritime/Naval Historian

Research Tips From Richard: The Boston Athenaeum and John F. Kennedy

July 9, 2015

Athenaeums nowadays are not ivory towers of refuge for scholars only. That image has long left the Portsmouth Athenaeum, founded in 1817, as well as the Boston Athenaeum, founded in 1807. Both are private institutions that, public relations-wise, have opened their doors for fresh air and to invite the general public for lectures, art exhibits, and various events. … More Research Tips From Richard: The Boston Athenaeum and John F. Kennedy

Special Collections: A Portsmouth Doctor Gets Some Special Attention

June 29, 2015

Hands down, the best part of working in special collections is exploring the lives of local citizens who walked the same streets we do today. Wading into the circumstances of their lives allows us both a glimpse into what preceded and created our current environments and occasionally, offers examples of contribution on a larger scale. The … More Special Collections: A Portsmouth Doctor Gets Some Special Attention

Research Tips from Richard: Life at Harvard’s Widener Library

March 26, 2015

Researchers love making pilgrimages to the leading libraries in the world. The city of Boston is so blessed. For Portsmouth area residents, a trip to Boston amounts to a bus, train, or car ride, some fifty-seven miles south. I know that an annual $250 fee for a Harvard College library card is not for everyone. … More Research Tips from Richard: Life at Harvard’s Widener Library

Research Tips from Richard: Phillips Exeter Academy’s Class of 1945 Library

February 23, 2015

Richard E. Winslow III, Local Historian Emeritus, has worked in Special Collections at the Portsmouth Public Library for 30 years. For one day each week, he offered patrons assistance with their research on a wide array of local history and genealogical topics – but every day Richard is in pursuit of history, visiting many local and regional collections. He … More Research Tips from Richard: Phillips Exeter Academy’s Class of 1945 Library