{{notablity, date=January 2017 The Western

Philatelic Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

Library is located in

Redwood City Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a po ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

History

The library was founded in 1969 and is chapter 836 of 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 Phi ...

. The library has been designated an official project of

Save America's Treasures Save America's Treasures is a United States federal government initiative to preserve and protect historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public–private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust fo ...

. In 2014, the library moved to 3004 Spring Street in Redwood City.

Legal status

The library is registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and donations are treated as a charitable deduction for the purposes of United States Federal Income Tax.

Mission statement

The library state on their website: "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

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

. 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 purpose ...

. Other special collections include the Tonga/Tin Can Mail Study Circle Library, the Society of Australasian Specialists/Oceania William H. Buckley Library which is the largest of its kind outside Australia and the

Tannu Tuva The Tuvan People's Republic (TPR; tyv, Тыва Арат Республик, translit=Tywa Arat Respublik; Yanalif: ''Tьʙа Arat Respuʙlik'', ),) and abbreviated TAR. known as the Tannu Tuva People's Republic until 1926, was a partially rec ...

Collectors Society Library. 2001 records list 13,000 books and pamphlets, 4000 bound volumes of journals, 2000 stamp catalogues, and 2000 auction catalogues in the library stock.

Journal

The library publishes a bi-monthly journal, ''The Bay Phil'', which includes book reviews and other relevant content.

External links

Friends of the Western Philatelic Library
Philatelic libraries 1969 establishments in California Sunnyvale, California