Library

The Alvin M. and Betty Josephy Library of Western History and Culture

The Josephy Library is based on the books, journals, manuscripts, and artifacts from Josephy home libraries in Greenwich, Connecticut and Joseph, Oregon, and grows with donations and purchases. It honors Alvin Josephy’s work as a historian of and advocate for American Indians, and Alvin and Betty Josephy’s commitment to literature, history, the arts, the West, and to people of all colors and backgrounds who have lived in and loved the West.

The collection aims to be comprehensive with Josephy’s own writings, and with material relating to Nez Perce and Columbia Plateau Indian and Northeast Oregon history, geography, and culture. It seeks to relate that work to a broad understanding of the West.

The main collection does not circulate, but multiple copies of several books and periodicals—especially of Josephy’s own work and books of Nez Perce and local interest—make up a small but growing lending library. There is also an annotated bibliography of the books and articles Josephy wrote, edited, or contributed to. Additionally, we have a digital collection of our all educational video lectures, in addition to Nez Perce Ephemera and other library content, on our Multimedia Library Collections page. All Library content is noted on a new web page, and will be updated periodically. Books are cataloged in the SAGE library system of Eastern Oregon libraries, administered by Eastern Oregon University in La Grande.

Josephy Library director Rich Wandschneider explains some history to a visitor.