Historical Collections - The Athenæum has four collections of books gathered in the 18th century: the Social Library (est. 1760), the Philosophical Library (est. 1781), the Holyoke Collection, and the Theological Collection. The Social Library and the Philosophical Library collections contain volumes that were combined to form the initial Athenaeum library in 1810. Edward Augustus Holyoke was the first president of the Athenaeum; the Holyoke collection is the group of books that were in his personal library.

19th and Early 20th Century Books - The Athenaeum has a sizable collection of books published in the latter half of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century. Included in this collection are works of literature, biographies, travel books, historical, and scientific works.

Recent Acquisitions - The Athenaeum purchases new fiction, mysteries, poetry and popular non-fiction: art, biography, current affairs, history, scientific discovery, and travel, with collecting in foc. A special collection focus is on books and libraries. The Athenaeum also subscribes to periodicals related to the book collections. Books and magazines may circulate to the members of the Athenæum.

Tours are available of the entire library, including our rare book collection. Please contact any of our trustees or our Director.