Libby Museum’s new inventory of its unique collection

WOLFEBORO — The Friends of The Libby Museum were pleased to provide bound copies of the entire inventory of the artifacts in the Libby Museum to the Town of Wolfeboro Selectmen (the Museum’s trustees) on December 16. The presentation was made by FoLM president, Tom Goodwin and accepted enthusiastically by the Board of Selectmen.

The five volumes of inventory represent the first ever complete data (in hard copy and electronically) of the more than 3000 artifacts in The Libby Museum, the oldest and only natural history museum in New Hampshire. The project was initiated by Alana Albee, former Director of the Museum (2017-2019), and was completed by dedicated volunteers and staff. The process of cataloging took hundreds of hours. Rae Lynn Warren and Catriona Lennon, current Director of the Museum, were both pivotal in ensuring it was completed accurately. Ms. Warren had valuable prior experience doing inventory work for The Wright Museum in Wolfeboro.

The inventory provides a historic record of each artifact. Many have been in the Museum since it opened 108 years ago. Some are thousands of years old, such as the vertebrae of a dinosaur and segments of meteorites, and still others are strangely unique like the skeleton of a human, hair balls from a cow’s stomach, and the hands of a mummy princess from the Nile region. The inventory volumes will also be available for public use at The Wolfeboro Library.

The Friends of The Libby Museum are currently raising funds to renovate and expand the museum. More on the renovation can be found at https://www.friendsofthelibbymuseum.org/