Library
Library
The MVM library exists to connect people with information about Martha’s Vineyard.
LIBRARY
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum library holds the largest collection of MV-related in the world. It is a public resource, available free of charge to anyone interested in the history and culture of Martha’s Vineyard.
Information about using the library is listed below. From this page you can also access:
- An overview of the library’s holdings
- A list of subject guides to MV-related topics
- Building Histories: A Walking Tour
- Digitized back issues of the Dukes County Intelligencer and MV Museum Quarterly
Additional information and online resources coming soon.
OUR MISSION
The MVM library exists to connect people with information about Martha’s Vineyard. That can include:
- Bringing you resources that you’ve already identified
- Helping you find resources that may be useful to your project
- Providing you with copies of material from our collection
- Answering specific questions related to the Vineyard
- Telling you more about aspects of the Vineyard you’re interested in
- Suggesting where to find resources we don’t have
Your questions aren’t taking us away from our job . . . they are our job.
VISITING IN PERSON
The library is located on the second floor of the Museum, at the top of the main staircase. It is open from Tuesday to Friday (the same hours as the Museum), except for federal holidays.
You are welcome to make an appointment, or to just drop in, but please remember:
The library has a one-person staff, and may be closed due to illness, vacation, meetings, or other commitments.
If you are on a tight schedule, coming from off-Island, or interested in consulting specific materials we strongly encourage you to contact us in advance to make sure we’ll be there when you want to visit.
Paid admission to the Museum is not required if you’re only visiting to use the library (just tell Visitor Services that’s why you’re here).
REMOTE ACCESS
We recognize that not everyone can visit the MVM library in person, and are happy to respond to inquiries remotely.
- Email (preferred): library@mvmuseum.org
- Phone: 508-627-4441 (x 115)
- Mail: 151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven MA 02568
Inquiries are free, and are handled on a time-available basis in the order received. Average response time varies depending on the inquiry and the time of year.
The library does not have a publicly searchable catalog (but we’re working on it).
DIGITIZATION, COPIES & PUBLICATION
We are working steadily to digitize our holdings, focusing on topics of perennial interest. Low-resolution copies of collection items that are already digitized, or scheduled to be digitized, are available at no charge.
Visitors to the library are also welcome to take non-flash photographs with hand-held equipment that does not touch the item being photographed.
High-resolution (publication quality) scans of collection items, and scans of anything not currently in the digitization queue, are available for a nominal fee.
MVM reserves the right to charge a fee for reproducing materials from its collections for which it is the copyright holder. These materials represent a small fraction of its holdings. More information is available in the library’s reproduction policy.