Behind the Scenes: Museum Collections Staff Receives New Documents from DEA Library
The Museum recently acquired new books, documents, and more from the DEA Library. The rich material, dating back to DEA’s predecessor agencies, will be added to the collection or used for reference.
Since August 2022, the library has gradually released 214 books and 94 periodicals to the Museum. The rich material, dating back to DEA’s predecessor agencies, will be added to the collection or used for reference.
The DEA Library brought new meaning to “spring cleaning” when it offered hundreds of books, periodicals, DEA publications, and other documents to the DEA Museum. The library, which serves DEA employees and contractors, moved into a renovated space last year, requiring its small, but dedicated, staff to trim the catalog. The Museum Collections team seized the opportunity to add new material to its own reference library, plus a few special documents to the collection.
Since August 2022, the library has gradually released 214 books and 94 periodicals to the Museum. The books, mostly from the 1970s through the 1990s, include reports published by DEA and its predecessor agencies. The earliest reports, like 1931’s Annual Report of the Commissioner of Narcotics, were assembled by Harry Anslinger, who served as the Federal Bureau of Narcotics’ commissioner for more than 30 years. These historical documents will be added to the Museum’s collection.
The periodicals are more recent, such as 21st-century copies of High Times, a magazine dedicated to cannabis-related advocacy and counterculture. Several issues of the magazine, dating back to its debut in 1974, are part of the Museum’s collection. High Times and similar artifacts illuminate the long, complex history of drug use in American culture.
While Collections staff are still processing the rich materials, some items have already inspired Museum projects. March’s episode of “Stories from the Collection” highlights an array of early DEA publications that informed the American public and professionals around the world in the 1970s. For example, a 1976 Ships Officers Guide to Help Stop Drug Smuggling printed in both English and Chinese helped senior ship officers spot and report smuggled drugs aboard their vessels. Such guides began DEA’s long tradition of providing free, useful resources for a variety of audiences.
The Museum is excited to see what comes next from these materials’ second life with the Collections team.
Looking for a forever home for your DEA artifacts, photos, or documents? Visit the DEA Museum’s website to learn more about donating to the collection.