St. Louis Mercantile Library

St. Louis Mercantile Library Established in 1846 by civic leaders and philanthropists, the Mercantile exists today as a vibrant community, cultural asset. Louis.

It is the oldest library west of the Mississippi and the grandparent of all cultural institutions in St. Synopsis: The collections may be grouped into six major divisions:

The General (Core) Collection, containing 210,000 books related to various American studies subjects. Some subjects-particularly Western Americana, have been collected in extensive depth. The collection also contains broadly de

veloped subjects related to the general humanities-especially history, world travel, and exploration-the social sciences, and the history of the natural sciences and the history of technology. The Barriger Collection, focusing on American Railroad history and currently distinguished as one of the largest in the United States, containing 40,000 books plus primary manuscript documents and photographs

The Pott Waterways Collection, which focuses on United States river and inland waterways history, containing 11,000 books and a large archival collection estimated at over 75,000 individual items. The Pott Collection also contains periodicals and current newspapers, with a current list of subscriptions numbering 75 popular and scholarly magazines and journals. The Art Collection, the Mercantile Library continues to collect, preserve and exhibit the work of artists who have made Missouri their home, from the early artist-explorers for whom St. Louis was a hub for access to the unexplored West to today’s artists who continue to capture the life and beauty of the American Midwest. Reference collections, containing approximately 2,000 "ready reference" volumes of general, local and historical materials, which is supported by the Core general collections outlined above, access to numerous on-line bibliographic resources and microfilmed materials. Special library collections include various research collections including original manuscript sources, the archives of the Mercantile Library, the clipping and photo files (morgue) of the St. Louis Globe Democrat, historical newspapers, and rare books.

Please note that the UMSL Libraries will be closed on Friday in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. For more hours, vi...
06/18/2026

Please note that the UMSL Libraries will be closed on Friday in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. For more hours, visit https://libguides.umsl.edu/hours.

06/16/2026

Our exhibition Frederick Oakes Sylvester & His Circle will be on view through July 31, and we invite you to visit before it closes!

Explore the life and work of one of Missouri's most celebrated landscape painters through the original paintings that illuminate Sylvester's artistic legacy and the community of artists who surrounded him.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the exhibition catalog, now available and featured in this video, for an even deeper look into Sylvester's work and influence.

📍 St. Louis Mercantile Library at UMSL
🗓 Exhibition closes July 31, 2026

We hope to see you before this remarkable exhibition comes to an end!

05/19/2026

Take a walk through "Casting a Long Shadow: Frederick Oakes Sylvester and His Circle" with our friend and longtime board member, Robert, as he explores the exhibition and reflects on the artwork on view.

This exhibition highlights the work and legacy of Frederick Oakes Sylvester and the artists connected to his circle, bringing together stunning landscapes and regional scenes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Be sure to visit before the exhibition closes on July 31st!

📍 Wallace H. Smith Gallery of Art
📚 St. Louis Mercantile Library at UMSL

Don't forget to vote daily for the Wallace H. Smith Gallery of Art to win Best Art Gallery in the St. Louis American Rea...
05/14/2026

Don't forget to vote daily for the Wallace H. Smith Gallery of Art to win Best Art Gallery in the St. Louis American Reader's Choice Awards! The voting window is open through May 31st.
https://www.stlamerican.com/readerschoice/

Let’s go, St. Louis! Vote for The Best Local Businesses and Services Step 1: Go to the categories of your choice and vote for your favorites below Step 2: Verify your email (to make sure your vote is counted) Vote for as many different businesses as you like, but you can only vote for that […]

⏳ Please note that our hours have changed:St. Louis Mercantile Library: Monday-Friday: 8am-5pmSaturday-Sunday: CLOSEDThe...
05/13/2026

⏳ Please note that our hours have changed:

St. Louis Mercantile Library:
Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm
Saturday-Sunday: CLOSED

The Wallace Herndon Smith Gallery of Art*:
Monday: Noon-4pm
Tuesday-Friday: 10am-4pm
Saturday-Sunday: CLOSED
*Selected weekday evenings are available by appointment for private visits and tours. Please call (314) 516-5920 for more information.

To view more hours, please visit https://libguides.umsl.edu/hours.

📣 Check out the Mercantile's cover story in the latest issue of Town & Style Magazine! https://townandstyle.com/explore-...
05/07/2026

📣 Check out the Mercantile's cover story in the latest issue of Town & Style Magazine!
https://townandstyle.com/explore-art-history-st-louis-mercantile-library-at-umsl/

🎤 In this interview with Emerita Curator of Fine Art Collections, Julie Dunn-Morton, she discusses Sylvester's impact on his fellow St. Louis artists --a few of which made the front cover! Clockwise from lower-left: Fred Greene Carpenter (1882-1965), "Cape Girardeau," 1941, oil on canvas; Kathryn Bard Cherry (1880-1931), "Down the Road, Elsah," n.d., oil on canvas; Dawson Dawson-Watson (1864-1939), "River Birches," c. 1904, oil on canvas.

👀 See these works up close and learn more by scheduling a free docent tour! Details are in the cover story.

🎫 Tickets for the June 12 Coffee in the Gallery closing reception are still available but selling fast! Call 314-516-7248 to register today.

📚 We still have plenty of "Sylvester & His Circle" exhibition catalogues in stock. Treat yourself to a gift and take the exhibition with you in this beautiful hardcover book! $40 ($36 for Mercantile Members!)

04/30/2026

“How do I get to the Mercantile Library?” 👀
We’ve been getting this question a lot… so we made you a quick walkthrough! 🎥
Follow along and come visit us soon to explore our current exhibition, "Casting a Long Shadow: Frederick Oakes Sylvester & His Circle", on view through July 31.
We promise—it’s easier to find than you think 😉

The Mercantile's Wallace H. Smith Gallery of Art is officially on the Reader’s Choice “Best of St. Louis” ballot for Bes...
04/23/2026

The Mercantile's Wallace H. Smith Gallery of Art is officially on the Reader’s Choice “Best of St. Louis” ballot for Best Art Gallery! Help us win by voting daily here:

Let’s go, St. Louis! Vote for The Best Local Businesses and Services Step 1: Go to the categories of your choice and vote for your favorites below Step 2: Verify your email (to make sure your vote is counted) Vote for as many different businesses as you like, but you can only vote for that […]

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1 University Boulevard
St. Louis, MO
63121

Telephone

+13145167240

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