Library of Personal Finance
Established by the Institute for Financial Literacy® in 2005, the
mission of the Library of Personal Finance is to preserve and disseminate
the accumulated and collective knowledge within the field of financial
literacy. The Library accomplishes this mission by maintaining and cataloging
a physical collection of educational materials related to the field of
personal finance.
The opening ceremony was attended by Congressman Tom Allen, Maine State
Treasurer David Lamoine, Maine Securities Administrator Michael Colleran,
and representatives from the offices of Senator Olympia Snowe, State Farm
Insurance, Northeast Savings Bank, and Jr. Achievement of Maine. Congressman
Allen presented the Library with its first item, a “redline” of
the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, in
recognition that the Act was the first Federal law mandating personal financial
management courses for any segment of American society.
Housed in Portland, Maine, the Library is the only permanent collection
of its kind in the United States. The Library catalogues books, texts,
computer programs and other materials in the area of personal financial
literacy. The role of the library is to ensure that materials related to
personal finance are collected, preserved, organized and made accessible
either directly through the Library itself or through collaborative arrangements
with other libraries and information providers. The collection is open
to academics, researchers, and the public on request.
What We Collect
The Library collection encompasses a variety of materials, all of which
have been donated by authors, publishing houses, institutions, and individuals.
The Library’s collection of printed material, periodicals, video
audio recordings and computer programs cover, but are not limited to:
- Credit Debt
- Real Estate
- Insurance
- Retirement Planning
- Bankruptcy
- Investing the Stock Market
- Personal Finance for Students, Kindergarten-College
As the generally accepted topics, materials and research in personal financial
management evolve, the Library will continue to expand its collection.
Please note that materials on economics will not be accepted into the library,
unless they specifically address personal finance topics.
How to Donate
The Library of Personal Finance gratefully accepts donations of personal
finance education materials. We currently do not accept textbooks and materials
about macro or micro economics. Donations may be sent to:
The Library of Personal Finance
c/o Institute for Financial Literacy
449 Forest Ave Second Floor
Portland, ME 04101
Thank you!
For further information about the Library of Personal Finance, please
call us at 207-221-3613.