Western Philatelic Library
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The Western Philatelic Library is a privately funded philatelic library located in Redwood City, California. The 3000-square-foot library is open to public and has about 200 members. The library is administered by the Friends of Western Philatelic Library, Inc. and staffed by volunteers.


History

The library was originally founded as South Bay Philatelic Library in 1969 by Roger Skinner and other philatelists with space provided by the
Sunnyvale Public Library The Sunnyvale Public Library is a public library in Sunnyvale, California. History The library was originally the Reading Room, which opened in 1908. It grew from 50 books to 500 within a year. In 1914, the collection, which had been managed ...
in
Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real (California), El Camino Real and U.S. Route 101 in California, Highway 1 ...
. The library's core collection came from the Pacific Philatelic Society. In 2014, the library relocated from Sunnyvale to 3004 Spring Street in
Redwood City, California Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area of Northern California, approximately south of San Francisco and northwest of San Jose, California, San Jose. The city's population was 84,292 accor ...
.


Legal status

The library is registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service as a
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
non-profit corporation and donations are treated as a charitable deduction for the purposes of United States Federal Income Tax.


Mission statement

"The Western Philatelic Library exists to enhance the preservation and dissemination of philatelic knowledge by acquiring, organizing, interpreting and distributing information resources in a globally networked community. Our Commitments: *to build and conserve a world class collection of printed, electronic and other media; *to support, extend and enrich the pursuit of knowledge and enjoyment through stamp collecting; *to provide access and support for beginners, hobbyists, specialists, writers, and postal historians; *to promote knowledge through public educational events and displays; and *to collaborate and cooperate with other libraries and philatelic groups throughout the world."


Collections

The library collection includes 14,000 books and pamphlets, 5000 bound volumes of journals, 6000 general and specialty catalogues. As well as a general collection of philatelic literature, the library also contain several important historic collections, including part of the
Hiram Edmund Deats Hiram Edmund Deats (May 20, 1870 – March 16, 1963) was an American philatelist, historian and publisher from Flemington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. He was especially acclaimed for his collection of revenue stamps. Life and family Hiram Ed ...
library. Deats was born in New Jersey in 1870 and was a founding member of the American Philatelic Association which eventually became the
American Philatelic Society The American Philatelic Society (APS) is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting foundation of philately in the world. Both the membership and interests of the society are worldwide. History The organization, originally named the ''American Phila ...
. Deats was also the founding Librarian of the
Collectors Club of New York The Collectors Club, often referred to as the Collectors Club of New York, is a private club and philatelic society in New York City. Founded in 1896, it is one of the oldest existing philatelic societies in the United States. Its stated purp ...
. Other special collections include the Tonga/Tin Can Mail Study Circle Library, the Society of Australasian Specialists/Oceania William H. Buckley Library and the Tannu Tuva Collectors Society Library.


Journal

The library publishes a newsletter ''The Bay Phil'' three times a year in April, August and December, which includes book reviews, philatelic articles and announcements. Current editor is Bob Gordon.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Friends of the Western Philatelic LibraryPhilatelic Union Catalog participating libraries
Philatelic libraries 1969 establishments in California Redwood City, California