Written by Sereen Suleiman
Edited by Gabrielle S. Bates and Lauren Kime
Welcome iSchool community! It is time to go on a wild adventure away from your classes and into the world of zoo libraries! This will be a national tour exploring zoo libraries across the country, from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library in our home state of California, to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Resource Library in Ohio, and finally to the National Zoological Park Library at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C. With so much information to discover, let’s dive right in!
San Diego Wildlife Alliance Library
We first stop at the Southern California city of San Diego, home of the famous San Diego Zoo. According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, their library’s mission is “to support and collaborate with staff in collecting, organizing, preserving, and providing access to the global resources necessary to enhance and promote [their] world-class zoological and botanical gardens and [their] wildlife conservation efforts.” Located on the second floor of the Beckman Center for Conservation Research overlooking the San Pasqual Valley Agricultural Preserve, the library serves as the bridge between their institution’s information and the researchers, veterinarians, zoologists, biologists, and educators of the Alliance. With 11,500 books and videos, 200 active serial subscriptions, and “thousands of online publications,” the library’s collection covers topics such as taxonomy, veterinary medicine, wildlife conservation, horticulture, ecology, natural history, and of course, zoos. Unfortunately, though, the library is not open to the public. However, the public can virtually access the collections through the online Library portal.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Resource Library
Our next stop is at the Midwest city of Cleveland, Ohio where the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo resides. This zoo hosts their own online resource library, which provides access to their plethora of digital collections. One of the many great features of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Resource Library is their historical resources, arranged in an online archive detailing the zoo’s history from 1880 to the present. Collections are arranged by decade (i.e. 1960–1969) and in each collection is a description of events that occurred in the zoo during that time period, along with photographs. Furthermore, the library provides lesson plans for teachers, an animal encyclopedia, and an insight into the future of wildlife.
National Zoological Park Library
We now come to our last stop at our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. where we take a virtual visit of the National Zoological Park Library at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute. With the zoological studies in America evolving in the last fifty years from wildlife management to conservation biology, there are now more in-depth examinations into the physiology, ecology, and genetic distinctiveness of animals. Zoo libraries, especially the National Zoological Park Library, are needed now more than ever to maintain collections that harbor the necessary information as studies change. Established in 1898, this library is currently one of the oldest libraries in America today! It plays a crucial role in the “survival as well as the daily care and feeding of more than 2,400 animals of 350 different species.” The librarians collect on subjects including endocrinology, conservation biology, physiology, genetics, and conservation medicine.
Being that this library is part of the Smithsonian, there are numerous additional resources their library is connected to:
- Zoology and Conservation Biology Research Guide
- Zoology Resources in the Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Science Resources
Now the safari may be over, but for anyone interested in conservation biology and zoology, maybe this tour was just the beginning for you into the career path of zoo libraries.
