Library and Archives

WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY & ARCHIVES

The library space in the AKC Museum of the Dog is an extension of the AKC’s vast library and archives located in the same building. It includes a bulk of the books on individual breeds as well as children’s literature and other dog-specific topics on art, history, photography, training, sport, military and police work, and more. It also functions as the center for education and public programming at the Museum. 

The AKC maintains one of the largest libraries devoted to dogs in the world, containing approximately 16,000 volumes, and the only national repository dedicated to history, sport, and art of the purebred dog. It has been providing internal and external reference on all manners of dog-related inquiries since 1934.

The AKC Archives formally began in 1998 as a service to Parent Clubs wishing to document and preserve the development of their breed and club activities. Since then, it has grown to over 1,000 linear feet and includes AKC Administrative records and personal collections of prominent men and women in the sport.

The AKC Library & Archives also holds a complete run of the AKC Gazette and other bound periodicals, stud books, AKC-licensed dog show catalogs (1877-1983), art, literature, juvenile books, stamps, bookplates, scrapbooks, and vertical files of clippings, magazine articles, and photographs. The collection boasts such rare books as Johannes Caius’s De Canibus Britannicis, published in 1570; Cynographia Britannica by Sydenham Edwards, published in 1800; and the personal libraries of renowned fanciers John Cross, the Shearer sisters, Alva Rosenberg, and more.

Explore the full AKC Library collection.

Learn more about the AKC Library & Archives.

Contact AKC Library & Archives staff.