The Research Library

The Library of the Bucks County Historical Society is the major research center for local and family history related to Bucks County and the surrounding region. With its roots in the founding of the Bucks County Historical Society in 1880, the Library houses over 20,000 books, periodicals and pamphlets, 2500 feet of county archives, over 750 manuscript collections, over 11,000 images, and maps and other records that document not only local history, but the life and work of Henry Chapman Mercer and early American technology, culture and folk art.

The Library is housed within the Mercer Museum, a six-story concrete castle displaying a major collection of tools and implements of early American life. The Library's Henry Mercer Room showcases the beautiful tiles and architectural genius of its creator.
 

Research Library Hours
Tuesday-Thursday 1-5 pm
Friday & Saturday 10 am-5 pm

Click here for information on admission fees or directions to the Mercer Museum.
 
Regulations regarding use of Library collections can be found at Library Policies and Procedures.

Photocopies for research purposes can be made of most Library collections. Copies on 8.5 x 11 paper are 40 cents per page; copies on 11 x 17 paper are 50 cents per page. Copies can be produced from microfilm. Library staff reserves the right to refuse photocopying due to age and condition of collection items.
 

RolloPAC, the online catalog to Library, Mercer Museum and Fonthill collections; click here to access RolloPAC.  Instituted in 2006, RolloPAC is a catalog under construction. Complete indexes now available in RolloPAC include all books, bound manuscripts, obituaries from 2000 to the present, the postcard collection, and the Rutherford Photograph collection. Indexes under construction include the Bucks County Visual Image collection, and finding aids to many manuscript collections, including that of Henry Mercer.

At this time, no digital images of collection items are linked to catalog records. Information on digital and photographic reproduction of collection items can be found in the documents provided below. 

The development of RolloPAC has been supported by generous grants from the Museums for America program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

RolloPAC has also been supported by grants through the Library Services and Technology Act program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In Pennsylvania this program is administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries in order to assist statewide libraries in providing users access to information.
 

The Library is the depository for many Bucks County government records dating from 1683. These records come from the offices of the Court of Quarter Sessions, Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans Court, Prothonotary and the County Commissioners. Special indexes to county collections include the following: naturalization records (1802-1906), criminal papers (1697-1786), quarter sessions (1684-1700), coroners papers (1700-1900), divorces (1806-1948), marriage licenses (1852-1854, 1885-1946), vendues (1784-1884), tavern licenses (1742-1923), deed books and grantor/grantee index (1684-1919), wills and administrations (1684-1900), and mechanics liens (1836-1949). At this time, none of these indexes are available online.

The Library offers fee-based research and document retrieval services for those patrons who are unable to visit the library. Information regarding this service can be found at Library Research Services document below.

Questions regarding Library collections and services can be directed to the Library at mmlib@mercermuseum.org.

Photographic Rights and Reproductions

Photographic reproductions of museum and library collections can be made for personal, scholarly and commercial use. Please contact the Collections Manager for information regarding usage policies, fees and procedures at curasst@mercermuseum.org or call 215-345-0210, ext. 119. 

The Library welcomes gifts and bequests of documents, books, photographs and other items that fit within the scope of its collections. To offer an item to the Library, to discuss a proposed bequest, or to learn more about the Library's collecting interests, please contact the Collections Manager at curasst@mercermuseum.org or call 215-345-0210, ext. 119.