Gifts and Donations to Sargeant Memorial Room
The establishment of the Sargeant Memorial Room (SMR), housed in Main Library of Norfolk Public Library, began in 1927 with only a small assortment of books and historical papers collected by William H. Sargeant. William Henry Sargeant was the first Librarian to be hired by the City of Norfolk in 1897 and felt very strongly that Norfolk should have a history room devoted to her history and her people. Since that time, the Sargeant Room has grown into an impressive collection of Norfolk and Virginia history by the generosity of individuals and organizations who wanted to give back to the community and see to it that records of Norfolk's past were preserved. The collection includes a significant photographic collection of some 60,000 images of Norfolk and surrounding Tidewater region from world-renowned photographers with many cherished images seen in local establishments.
We continue to expand the collection to meet the needs and desires of our patrons. We also engage in projects to promote greater access and ease of use for our collection so that everyone may appreciate it. We are always looking for books on history and genealogy for Norfolk, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Maryland; organizational records - cultural, business, and church; rare and/or significant books; genealogical records; family & personal papers - letters, diaries; newspapers for the Hampton Roads region, publications - newsletters; pamphlets, maps, blueprints, artwork, photographs of Norfolk and Hampton Roads region, posters, and even postcards. If you wish to give a monetary tax-deductible donation or a planned gift to the Sargeant Memorial Room, the Norfolk Public Library has set up the George H. Tucker Local History & Genealogy Endowment for the Sargeant Memorial Room and it is administered by the Norfolk Public Library Foundation. Your donation to the Sargeant Memorial Room will be appreciated greatly and will make a dramatic difference in the preservation of Norfolk History by raising the level of materials and service offered to all. We will be able to offer more books, conserve historic materials, offer more microfilm and periodicals, and digitize portions of our collection. We will be able to "Preserve our past, for our future." Please contact the staff or mail a completed form to the Sargeant Memorial Room if you wish to help the collection continue to grow. Click HERE for Donation and Gift form.