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Oak Ridge Public Library 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (865) 425-3455
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The Oak Ridge Room
Charter residents and newcomers can enjoy the rich history of Oak Ridge in the Oak Ridge Public Library’s Oak Ridge Room. There, patrons can find information and items that will give them an idea of what life was like in the 1940’s when Oak Ridge was a brand new town as well as current information about our city government and issues important to citizens today. New pre-Oak Ridge historical photos available for viewing (Read the Oak Ridger article)
Community Television Videos now available for check out.
City Behind a Fence by Charles W. Johnson and The Oak Ridge Story by George O. Robinson give an excellent overview of how Oak Ridge came to be. The Oak Ridgers by Martha Cardwell Sparrow paints a vivid picture of daily life in this “frontier town.” We’ll Call it Wheat by Dorathy Moneymaker chronicles the thriving Wheat Community that was here before Oak Ridge. In addition to these titles you will find materials about the Manhattan Project and the making of the first atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project by Stephane Groueff, Now It Can Be Told by Leslie Grove, and The Road to Trinity by Kenneth D. Nichols are accounts of this important and interesting time in our history.
Those
who like to check records or crunch numbers can find city and school
budgets, city council and school board agendas and minutes, financial
reports and planning commission minutes.
Browse
our collection of oral histories and personal accounts Many
Oak Ridger’s have taken the time to write about their life and work
here. The library is fortunate to have copies of their works. Bill Wilcox,
George Jasney, Walcot Watson, John Googin, Alvin Weinberg, Sam Sapirie and
William Pollard all have contributed their writings and personal
recollections to the library. The library offers biographical information
on each of these and many other Oak Ridgers. In
addition to these accountings, The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation
Association and the local chapter of the American Association of
University Women each have undertaken oral history projects. The library
has received some of their tapes and others will be forthcoming. These
tapes offer a wealth of information about life here and are a valuable
part of the library’s historical collection.
Enjoy
our Department of Energy Photograph Collection The
library is fortunate to have a collection of photographs taken by Ed
Wescott during his years as Atomic Energy Commission photographer. These
photographs depict life in early Oak Ridge, which was especially
remembered for the mud, the lines, and the gates. It is possible to get
reprints of these photographs. Just ask at the reference desk for
assistance.
See
what’s available in the vertical file collection The
vertical file collection in the Oak Ridge Room contains a wealth of
information about our community. There you can find information on the
“alphabet housing”, the beginning of our fine school system, and the
many clubs and organizations in Oak Ridge. You will also find
environmental reports from the Department of Energy as well as information
about the three government facilities here.
Choose
material listed on the Oak Ridge bibliography This
is a convenient listing of magazine articles and books by Oak Ridgers or
about Oak Ridge. It's a handy guide to a portion of the material in the
Oak Ridge Room.
In
addition to the materials listed above, you can find a variety of other
resources in The Oak Ridge Room. There are histories of area counties,
cemetery records, and current maps of Oak Ridge as well as historic maps
of the area before Oak Ridge was built. Local historian Snyder Roberts
gave the library much of his material, which is a colorful as well as
historic account of this area. From 1988 to 1994 groups of community volunteers participated in the Community Television Video Project. These teams made more than 300 videotapes on a myriad of topics. Topics vary from local government and politics to ballet and art to science and biography. The Library has catalogued these tapes and they are available for check out. They circulate like our other videos and DVDs - three days for $2.00.
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