The Kellenberger Room collects books that are fundamental to the study of local history for New Bern and Craven County. We also collect books about the counties surrounding Craven County, as many of those counties were formed from Craven County. Genealogy books concentrate on Eastern North Carolina and Tidewater Virginia, though there are some materials on other areas. In addition, the library contains hundreds of books about individual families and on the records of specific counties.
Microfilmed materials comprise a large part of our collection.
In dealing with local history, the newspapers present a wealth of information about the culture and times in which they were written. The first newspaper printed in North Carolina was printed in New Bern, and the library has on microfilm some of those early newspapers. The newspaper collection contains newspapers from New Bern dated from 1751 to the present, with some years missing. Microfilmed genealogical materials include census records and county records. County records include such items as court minutes, deeds, wills, and estate papers.