Among the Library's firefighting resources, the single largest collection, and one of the largest in the entire state, is the Dr. Thomas S. Walsh, Jr. Firefighting Collection. A prominent Albany surgeon, Dr. Walsh pursued the study and collection of material on the history of firefighting as a hobby for more than half a century. Books, periodicals, manuscripts, photographs, equipment catalogues and ephemera represent in detail the history of firefighting technology in the United States and Great Britain, including a full record of the development of firefighting equipment and hardware from the 19th century to the present.
The books (the oldest dating back to the 1600s), journals and historic documents in this collection include:
The Dr. Thomas S. Walsh, Jr. Firefighting Collection is available for research and study in the Manuscripts and Special Collections Research Room.