at the Long Island Maritime Museum
Come enjoy the ambiance of the Elward Smith III
Research Library
while researching Long Island's
lifesaving history, navigation,
military & nautical engineering
and maritime history
or just
browsing our recently catalogued
collection.
Whether for research or recreation, the library offers one of
Long Island's largest collections of maritime historical resources.
An extensive cataloguing project of our books, documents, plans
and
photos has begun, all in an effort to make our collection
more accessible for our visitors.
Due to the hard and tedious work of one of our very valued
volunteers
Pat Wagner and volunteer/staff Registrar
Arlene Balcewicz,
this year-long project is almost complete. The library collection
is almost completely cataloged,
redesigned and computerized
for easy access.
For those who have noticed the large steering wheel that graces the entrance to our library, it's history is awesome! It belonged to the Premier, built in 1887 and has quite a history. Come visit the Museum
and find out the story behind the wheel.
Please call the Museum office at (631)HISTORY or
email the Library
for details about using the library.
About Elward Smith III:
Elward was an active member and supporter of the
Long Island Maritime Museum, formerly of the Suffolk Marine Museum. The Smith Family was a founding members of the Sayville Yacht Club and began the Union Savings Bank in Patchogue. Elward was a graduate of Hotchkiss, Yale & Wharton. He served in the United States Army. He was a loved local businessman, owning
"The Bookcase" bookstore on Main Street in Sayville, NY for over 25 years.
After retirement, Elward became a trustee of the Museum, to where he brought with him extensive history and nautical knowledge.
The Museum's Research Library was renamed in his honor in the late 1990's.
2009