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A research library specializing in American maritime history, the library holdings include 70,000 volumes of books and periodicals, 2,000 rolls of microfilm, 1,000 ships registers, 1,000,000 manuscript pieces, 1,200 logbooks, 600 audiotaped oral history interviews, 200 videotaped interviews, and 9,000 maps and charts. The Ships Plans division holds well over 100,000 sheets of plans plus 86 gore books and bound volumes.
In addition to its physical holding the Libraries also have an extensive digital collection. Ranging from searchable Lloyds Registers from 1859-1895, Connecticut vessel, master and owner registrations from the late 17th century, passenger ships photos, and select books and manuscript items to a complete online catalog.
Like its fellow institutions, Peabody Essex, Mariners Museum, South Street Seaport, San Diego Maritime, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Libraries at Mystic Seaport seek to collect, preserve and make available all manner of materials documenting maritime life at sea. Subjects of the collection include, but are not limited to ships (passenger ships, merchant marine, ocean liners, Coast Guard, naval, and pleasure), immigration, yachting, voyages, women at sea, crew lists, whaling, exploration and discovery.
Built in 1965, the Library was named in honor of G.W. Blunt White (1895-1962), an ardent yachtsman and a devoted officer and trustee of the Seaport for many years. The present building was designed to house the Museum's rapidly expanding collections of imprints and manuscripts and to provide a home for the Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies. Since opening to the public in 1965, the collections have doubled and the building now provides classroom space for the Williams College-Mystic Seaport Program in American Maritime Studies as well as the Munson Institute's summer programs.
The Ships Plans division, located in the Collections Research Center, has collected, preserved, and made publicly accessible nearly 100,000 individual architectural and technical drawings representing watercraft and related maritime industry and activity.
Originally housed in the G.W. Blunt White Library, the collection and its storage requirements soon overwhelmed the available space and the collection was moved to another location.