Guides: Government Information Resources: National Parks

The History of the National Park Service

The history of the National Park Service can be traced using a number of documents, including the congressional hearings that led to the founding of the NPS and retrospective histories compiled by other government agencies. A selection of these sources:

Library of Congress Brief History of the NPS
This brief history of the NPS also includes links to a variety of other information on the organization.
Congressional Documents on the NPS
This saved MIDCAT search will let you browse the library's collection of congressional documents, including hearings, related to the National Park Service, from its founding 100 years ago up to present day.
The National Parks: America's Best Idea Companion Website
This companion site to the PBS documentary by Ken Burns lets you trace the history of the NPS through various eras.
The National Parks Service: America's Best Idea
The 6-part documentary for PBS by Ken Burns. Streaming access via Kanopy.

Items in the Government Documents Collection

Middlebury holds an extensive collection of NPS publications, including the following series:

Park Science (I 29.3/4:)
A research and resource management bulletin with articles pertaining to the National Parks.
CRM (I 29.86/2:)
"The journal of heritage stewardship." Also available in print in Davis Family Library.
National park handbooks (I 29.9/5:)
The iconic guides to individual parks. Also available in print in Davis Family Library.
National park map/guides (I 29.9/2:)
The equally iconic brochures with maps and other park information that are handed out to visitors. Also available in print in Davis Family Library.
Preservation briefs (I 29.84:)
Brief guides with information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic architecture.
Preservation tech notes (I 29.84/3:)
Technical publications with information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic architecture.
Historical resource study (I 29.58/3:)
In-depth reports about various sites and structures under the NPS. Some items available electronically, some available in Davis Family Library.
Historic structure reports (I 29.88:)
Reports and basic data about historic structures overseen by NPS. Some items available in print in Davis Family Library.

The National Parks: Index 2012-2016 by Office of Communications and the Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs National Park Service
Call Number: I 29.103: 2012-2016
Publication Date: 2016

Websites

National Parks Service homepage
National Register of Historic Places
"The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation."
Clemson University Library Center for Excellence
Clemson University Library is a Center of Excellence for FWS, NPS, and FS. This means that they collect comprehensively and are working to fully catalog the collection.
National Parks Service GIS
Maps, models, and spatial data related to the National Parks.