McCracken Research Library
McCracken Research Library
The Last Word on the West
The McCracken Research Library preserves and shares the stories of the American West through careful research, collaboration, and stewardship. Its dedicated staff work with curators, scholars, students, writers, and filmmakers to reveal the West in all its human and natural complexity. Home to extensive collections of original manuscripts, rare books, maps, and historic photographs, the McCracken connects visitors and researchers directly with the materials that shaped Western history and imagination. Every document and image receives meticulous care, ensuring these irreplaceable resources remain accessible and preserved for generations. The McCracken’s professionals approach their work with accuracy and integrity, recognizing that the way the West has been imagined often matters as much as what truly happened. By supporting new research and fresh perspectives, the library helps bridge the space between myth and history. Through this commitment to preservation and discovery, the McCracken Research Library keeps the legacy of the American West alive—rooted in truth, enriched by learning, and open to all who seek to understand it.
Library Archives and Resources
Explore thousands of museum objects and images, and deepen your knowledge of the American West. We have one of the most extensive collections of Plains Indian objects, photos of famous figures of the West, and more. Led by the McCracken Library at the Center of the West, we’re dedicated to preserving and publishing the very best of American West history for public use.
Bloomberg Connects Digital Guide
Our McCracken Research Library has recently launched digital guides through Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Simply download the app through the QR code found here and start exploring! You’ll find the virtual version of the McCracken’s new special exhibition, POP!-ular: The West’s Original Pop Culture Icons. This sister exhibit to POP! Goes the West explores the enduring popularity of the historical figures and landscapes on view next door in the Duncan Gallery. See how these icons appeared in photographs and media in their own time, then visit POP! Goes the West next door to learn how artists reinterpreted them from a modern perspective. You’ll also find archived exhibitions, a rare book spotlight, and more – even some helpful tips on how to care for your own family papers and photos.
Wyoming Public Media Spotlights the McCracken Research Library
Wyoming Public Media recently featured the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West for launching a new digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects mobile app. The story highlights how the McCracken is bringing its collections to life in exciting new ways—offering behind-the-scenes access to exhibitions, rare materials, and untold stories from the American West.
Archivist Cassandra Day shared that the guide explores what visitors can’t always see in the museum, from past and current exhibitions to oral histories, photographs, and books connected to all five Center museums.
Through this innovative platform, the McCracken shares its collections with audiences near and far—connecting people to the history, art, and spirit of the West. Read the full story on Wyoming Public Media.
McCracken Quick Links
McCracken Mission Statement
“The McCracken Research Library advances the understanding, appreciation, and study of the American West and plays an integral role in the creation and dissemination of scholarship on the region.” —Adopted by the McCracken Research Library Advisory Board, September 21, 2006
The McCracken staff collaborates with curators, scholars, students, writers, and filmmakers to reveal the American West in all its human and natural complexity. The last word on the West defines the mission—to preserve the written and visual record. As the stewards of many forms of expression, our professionals understand how language and images have shaped perceptions. What Americans believe about the West is as significant as what actually happened in these storied landscapes.
“The Western history popular culture collection at the McCracken is unmatched anywhere in the world.” —Dr. Paul Hutton, Acclaimed Western Author and Researcher
McCracken Holdings
From its beginnings as a reading room in a log building, the library has grown substantially. Holdings include 36,000 books, more than 600 numbered manuscript collections, and over one million photographic images. Professionally trained and certified staff care for our holdings behind the scenes. Collections reside in several large vaults with closely controlled temperature, humidity, and light levels. In the reading room, rare books recount the experiences of early travelers with illustrations that often convey an imaginary version of the West.
Online Search Guides
- Find out more detail about the library’s archival collection by accessing our online Finding Guides.
- Browse the digital archival collections By Collection
- Search the book collection at https://mrl.wyldcatalog.org
Digital Initiative
The library has embarked on a digital program, contributing more than 80,000 image files to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s website. Online visitors can search a suite of collections of digital photographs and documents, conduct research, and submit orders for reproductions.
“The best work I’ve seen.” —Bud Lake, Specialist in Crow Indian Photography, Great Plains People Collection
Local Lore Program Archive
