Not any that are open to the general public as far as I know.
Is there any military libraries or bookstores in Northern Virginia?
Is there any good military libraries or bookstores in Northern Virginia? I ask because the area seems to lack a place like the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, and I was just wondering if anything like it exists in Northern Virginia after all?
Not any that are open to the general public as far as I know.
Cav Guy's answer
This appeared in another thread: And as to your library question, I'm sure the USMC library in Quantico is open, as may be the National Defense University Library, you are able to enter a military base, just have to show ID and get your car searched. Check the library websites for more info.
davidbfpo
I'm not sure what the answer is, but you may want to consider other perks of living in the DC bubble. There are a ton of think tanks in the area and lots of them have frequent events open to the public. I've been to dozens at the Wilson Center, AEI, Jamestown, and a few others. The first two seem to hold the most frequent events. There is generally a decent Q&A session. Not sure where specifically you live, but you might also want to check the local universities to see if they offer a discounted rate to audit courses for local residents. Not sure how old you are, but some also offer senior discounts, too. I know a guy who audited a graduate seminar on some international affairs topic dealing with national security and it cost him about $150. The regular price is over $3,000.
Although it tends towards Marine-centric, the Marine Corps Association HQ has a decent bookstore. Even the exchanges at Ft Belvoir and Quantico have some books you might find in mainstream Barnes and Noble.
Libraries and collections in the DC area
Kevin, most of the universities in the DC area are part of the Aladin library group. If you have access to one you have access to all. In particular, this includes GW and AU plus others. U of MD is not, I believe, part of this but it has the best researrch library in the area. GMU should have a good collection of what you are looking for. Finally, the National Security Archive housing lots of previously classified collections is located at GWU. All are open to the public and can be used there. In addition, the greatest library in the world is the Library of Congress and while you have to register it is open to all for research.
Cheers
JohnT
And as a second thought, Inter-library loan is a great program.
It all depends...
on your ability to access military facilities.
Quantico is military historian heaven. The Pentagon is pretty good too. Ft Belvoir is not too bad, one can find some older works. Public libraries usually are too eclectic to satisfy any serious jones for military literature.
Library of Congress is a good source but requires going into DC (the Capitol South METRO stop is a short walk away) and you cannot take out books.
If you cannot get on base the inter-library loan programs are probably your best bet.
For outright buying you can't beat eBay and Amazon.
Last edited by Umar Al-Mokhtār; 07-20-2009 at 04:40 PM.
"What is best in life?" "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women."
What's your area of interest?
"The status quo is not sustainable. All of DoD needs to be placed in a large bag and thoroughly shaken. Bureaucracy and micromanagement kill."
-- Ken White
"With a plan this complex, nothing can go wrong." -- Schmedlap
"We are unlikely to usefully replicate the insights those unencumbered by a military staff college education might actually have." -- William F. Owen
My areas of interest stretch the whole span of military history and it's related aspects. However I tend to concentrate on modern military history, geopolitics and international relations.Originally Posted by IntelTrooper
Btw terribly sorry for delaying my reply so late.
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