Local History Collections in Coastal North Carolina Public Libraries

Local history collections are common in public libraries in the United States, providing communities access to their local history books, maps, government documents and more. These collections developed in response to a need to store documents specific to local cities, towns and counties, and also as serving the first-place community members go to donate these types of materials. Just as public library services have changed over time, so have these collections and library services changed to allow patrons to create, sustain and engage with them. While numerous case studies have examined how larger institutions have developed in recent years, smaller collections have received less scholarly attention. This study aims to provide a modern overview of local history collections in North Carolina’s public libraries, focusing on the coastal region, through the use of interviews and qualitative data analysis. This content analysis can be used as a tool for library staff working at institutions of a similar scale and can be used as a tool for similar studies on local history collections in libraries.