Navy Library

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Navy Library

The Navy Library traces its roots to a March 31, 1800, letter from President John Adams to Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert directing him to establish a library that would contain “the best writing… on the theory and practice of naval architecture, navigation, gunnery…” From that beginning, the library’s collections have grown to over 200,000 volumes with an emphasis on naval, military and nautical history including holdings on foreign navies.

Open to the public, the library serves an international audience. As a branch of the Naval Historical Center, it provides resources vital to the writing and publishing of naval history, as well as information relating to the needs of today’s Navy.

For more information about the Navy Library and how to access its materials, visit the Naval History and Heritage Center website.

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