Nancy Beardslee donated her late husband’s, G. William Beardslee, historical antique book collection to the New Berlin Library. The shipment of 199 books was received in 12 boxes and the New Berlin Library is in the process of cataloging and shelving the collection.

The Beardslee collection will be housed in the New York History Room at the library. Shelves have been purchased but the New York History room will need to be reorganized to make space for the new shelves and the book collection.

The New Berlin Library director, Michelle Priola, stated “Bill Beardslee and his family have always been wonderful patrons and sponsors of the New Berlin Library and we are proud to help protect and promote the Beardslee legacy in our community.”

The donated book collection are non-fiction and primarily focus on New York history. The topics include genealogies, agriculture, government, early settlers, and the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The library staff hopes to have the collection ready for the public by the end of May. This collection of books will only be available for use in the library, no checkouts. As some of the books are quite old and in a delicate state staff will pull any book requested and gloves must be worn during use.