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FAQs
| Who administers the Memorial Library?The Board of Governors administers the Memorial Trust, a registered UK charity, and operates in very close consultation with the Norfolk County Council Library Authority, and with the Executive Committee of the 2nd Air Division Association. The Trust employs a part-time Trust Librarian, a Trust Library Manager, and a small team of Library & Information Assistants. Through funding raised by the Second Air Division Association, two scholarships are awarded annually to American post-graduate students studying at the University of East Anglia, and the 'American scholars' are also part of the Memorial Library team. Also represented on the Board of Governors is the Cultural Attache at the American Embassy in London and a representative of the 2nd Air Division Association. The Trust works closely with other organizations interested in Anglo-American relations including the University of East Anglia, the Imperial War Museum Duxford, the Muckleburgh Collection at Weybourne and the Mighty Eighth Heritage Museum in Savannah, Georgia, USA.
What about military records?The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library does not hold any official military records for personnel who served with the 2nd Air Division, USAAF, or for any other personnel serving in the United Kingdom.
The Memorial Library does own some microfilm, made at Maxwell Air Force Base following World War II, of 2nd Air Division bombardment group mission reports, as well as other reports and papers created during the war. The quality of the microfilm is not good. This microfilm is housed in the Norfolk Heritage Centre of the Millennium Library.
For more information on locating military records for American personnel serving from the United Kingdom, try the following links:
Tracing Former Military Personnel, www.usembassy.org.uk/dao/tracemil.html (U.S. Embassy, London)
Access to Military Records, www.archives.gov/veterans/index.html (National Archives & Records Administration)
What about non-print material?
The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library has a small, non-circulating collection of non-print materials. These include videotapes, audio recordings, microforms, and photographs.
Videotapes:
The videotape collection is almost entirely about the 2nd Air Division or the Second World War. A listing of the videotapes held in the collection is available at the Enquiry Desk of the Memorial Library. None of the videotapes may be issued; patrons must watch the videotapes on Memorial Library equipment in the 2ADA Meeting Room. Because this room can be booked for meetings, school visits, and for the use of the flight simulator, it is recommended that patrons wishing to view videos reserve the room in advance. To do so, telephone the Memorial Library staff at 01603 774747 or send an e-mail to: 2admemorial.lib@norfolk.gov.uk.
Audio Recordings:
A small audio recording collection is available for use at the Memorial Library; additional oral histories are on deposit at the Norfolk Record Office. For information on the audio recordings held at the Memorial Library, please contact the staff. Again, these materials may not be issued, and must be used within the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.
Microforms:
The microforms held by the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library include copies of the microfilm made at Maxwell Air Force Base at the close of the Second World War from paper records of the various Army Air Forces. The Memorial Library holds only those for the 2nd Air Division; the microfilms are housed within the stock of the Norfolk Heritage Centre, on the second floor of the Forum, within the Norwich Millennium Library. Patrons are encouraged to speak to the staff of the Memorial Library before requesting the film from the Norfolk Heritage Centre staff.
Photographs:
The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library holds a small collection of photographs in storage in the Forum building. Information on those photographs is available from the staff of the Memorial Library. The bulk of the photographs held by the Memorial Library are on deposit with the Norfolk Record Office, and are available for use in its research room.
Many, if not most, of the photographs held by the Memorial Library are unidentified or have minimal captions. It is impossible to determine with any certainty whether the Memorial Library’s photographic collection at the Norfolk Record Office holds an image of a particular American. Approximately 140,000 men and several hundred women served with the 2nd Air Division during the Second World War; no comprehensive photographic collection exists.
What is the Roll of Honor?
As a permanent memorial in the Library, the Roll of Honor, a list of the fallen men of the 2nd Air Division, is maintained by the 2nd Air Division Association and housed in a special memorial area. This list has occupied a prominent position in the Memorial Library since the first facility was opened in 1963.
The Roll of Honor was first compiled in the early 1950s. In 1958 an inscribed vellum copy of the Roll of Honor was presented to the City of Norwich. The current copy dates from after the 1994 Memorial Library fire.
What sorts of books are available in the Memorial Library?
The basic aim of the Memorial Library is to provide books about the United States and its civilization, or books contributing to knowledge in general, written by Americans or published in America, for the use of the general reader. This includes biographies, histories, travel books, cookbooks, art books, sports and entertainment books, and books on topics of current interest. For example, one emphasis is on books and other information of interest to travellers. Other books have been purchased to support the study of American history in high schools throughout Norfolk, on topics such as the American West, or the 1960s in the United States.
Each book acquired with Trust funds or presented by the Second Air Division Association or private individuals carries a special bookplate. Some books are specifically dedicated to named men and women who served with the 2nd Air Division. At this time, the Memorial Library contains over 4,000 books in its reading room for use by the public, with additional books in secure storage because of their rarity.
Another important function of the Library is to document the history of the 2nd Air Division during the Second World War, and the aim is to make the collection as comprehensive as possible. The collection includes many rare group histories privately published at the end of the hostilities, and more recent books concerned with the 8th Air Force and its units. There is a special collection of personal diaries, original documents, maps, photographs, manuals, and other items connected with the Second Air Division. These are on deposit with the Norfolk Record Office. The Memorial Library's non-print collections also include videos, primarily related to the 2nd World War, and a limited collection of realia and display items. A small microfilm collection is available as well.
In addition to the main collection housed in the Memorial Library itself , there are four Wing Collections housed in branches around Norfolk. These four collections are based at Sprowston, Attleborough, Long Stratton, and East Dereham. Each of these collections has a rotating stock of books about the topics covered by the collection policy of the Memorial Library and of the branch itself.
The Memorial Library staff follow a written stock selection policy in collecting materials to add to the collections. Most materials are purchased specifically for the collection although a limited number of donations are added from time to time.
Who may borrow the books?
Anyone who has a library card through the Norfolk County Library & Information Service may borrow Memorial Library books just as one would at a local branch library or the Millennium Library. The same qualifications that apply to borrowers of books at libraries throughout the county apply to the Memorial Library, as well.
Is it possible to arrange a group visit?
Schools and organizations from throughout East Anglia are encouraged to arrange visits to the Memorial Library. Staff are happy to provide tours of the facility, and are able to give short talks on the history and purpose of the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.
Veterans of the 2nd Air Division and their families are encouraged to contact the staff of the Memorial Library in advance of their visits to Norwich. This allows the staff time to make arrangements for visits to the former air bases, all of which are now private property.
To make plans for a visit, please contact the staff of the Memorial Library by telephone at 01603 774747, by e-mail at 2admemorial.lib@norfolk.gov.uk, or by post.
Who should I contact for additional information?
The staff of the Memorial Library currently consists of Libby Morgan, Trust Librarian; Jenny Christian, Trust Library Manager; Lesley Fleetwood, Library and Information Assistant; and Lucien Giordano and Stephanie Leal, University of East Anglia American Scholars. Please contact them for any additional information or enquiries you may have.
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