Pritzker Military Library
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[edit] Address and Contact Info
Address: 610 N. Fairbanks Court, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Phone: 312-587-0234
Fax: 312-587-0536
Website: http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org
Principal contacts for the collection: Theresa A.R. Embrey, Senior Librarian; Kat Latham, Archivist
[edit] Hours and Usage Restrictions
Admission is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors with special research requests should contact the librarians in advance.
[edit] Online Catalogs and Finding Aids
Access to the online catalog is free with registration on the library's website.
Finding aids for specific collections are available upon request.
[edit] Collection Summary
The collection of the Pritzker Military Library includes over 30,000 books, periodicals, videos, artwork, posters, rare military ephemera, over 6000 photographs and glass negatives from the American Civil War and Spanish-American War through the present day, and a sizable collection related to Winston Churchill. The collection is open to members of the public, but membership is required to take materials out of the library.
Archive and Manuscript collection highlights include personal recollections of veterans, and the papers of military historian Edward Jablonski (1922-2004).
[edit] Usage Discussion
Suggestions for approaching the material:
Housing and getting by for less in the area:
The Pritzker Military Library is located in Chicago's most heavily-touristed area, with a vast amount of hotels within walking distance. However, three lower-priced hostels are a short distance away in the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park and Rogers Park, and also the central business district of the Loop.
[edit] Fellowships and Funding Opportunities
The Library presents an annual award, the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing, sponsored by the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation. The award includes a $100,000 honorarium, and is given annually. Recipients, by year, are as follows:
- 2009 Gerhard L. Weinberg
- 2008 Allan R. Millett
- 2007 James M. McPherson
[edit] Major Topic Areas
The Pritzker Military Library is a research library for the study of military history in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2003 by COL (IL) James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Ret.) to be a non-partisan institution for the study of "the Citizen Soldier as an essential element for the preservation of democracy". It is located at 610 N. Fairbanks Court in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. The library is supported by donations.
Programs at the library are free and open to the public, and have included interviews with U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipients such as Paul William Bucha and Gary L. Littrell, retired military figures such as Gen. Anthony Zinni and NASA Capt. Jim Lovell, as well as military authors such as Doris Kearns Goodwin and W.E.B. Griffin. It has also hosted exhibitions by artists such as Steve Mumford and members of the Midwest Air Force Association. Programs are webcast live on the library's website and archived for later viewing or listening in streaming media or as podcasts. The programs are downloaded at a rate of 2,000 per month per program. They are also broadcast on Chicago PBS affiliate WYCC Channel 20. The Library's 2006 event schedule was named an Official Honoree of the 2007 Webby Awards. Its event schedule and podcasts were named Official Honorees of the 2008 Webby Awards.
The Pritzker Military Library has strong collection holdings relating to the American Civil War, especially regimental histories of units from the Midwest; the Spanish American War; and World War II, especially the Pacific Theatre, prisoners of war (both theatres), and memoirs from participating veterans. The Library is also collecting works and oral histories related to the Congressional Medal of Honor and, to a much lesser extent, the Victoria Cross.
