General Information | Collections | Research | Genealogy Research | Location & Hours 

PLEASE NOTE:  Due to a staff change, the Library will have reduced hours for the months of March and April.  We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Circus World Museum is home to the Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center, the world’s foremost research facility for circus history. Circus World Museum offers many opportunities for students and educators, a wealth of stories, and educational opportunities, for students of any age. We’re constantly expanding our offerings – with the help of education professionals, students, parents, industry experts, and the community.

Circus World Museum's collections cover all aspects of American circus and Wild West shows. Circus World Museum and its collections are owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, but privately managed by the not-for-profit Circus World Museum Foundation. The Library was established in 1965 to manage and maintain the paper, image, and sound materials of the Museum. It was named in 1991 for the man who served as its director for twenty-six years.

The purpose of the library is to document the history of American circus, from its inception in 1793 to the present. The Museum collects and preserves all types of material, from the business records of circuses, to pieces of ephemera, such as posters and heralds.  It also houses small collection of materials from related fields such as carnivals.

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Collections

Audio Materials
Our collection includes 200 sound reels, 100 sound cassettes, 379 sound disks, and 23 compact disks. Most are commercial productions of circus music but they also include performances from the Windjammers Unlimited, Inc. and interviews of personnel.

Couriers
These are advertising pieces designed like newspapers. There are approximately 950 couriers representing some 75 circus titles dating back to the 1870's.

Heralds
These are advertising pieces similar to handbills. This collection includes approximately 800 heralds dating as early as 1815, with the majority dated between 1880 and 1960.

Posters - Original Artwork
Approximately 9500 posters are in this collection dating back to 1835, with the majority from 1880 and 1960. The collection includes examples from approximately 150 different circus titles. Over 100 examples of original art used to make posters are present.

Programs, Songsters & Librettos, Animal Booklets
There are approximately 1800 programs, songsters and librettos representing 150 circus titles. The majority of these items date from 1842 to the present.

Film/Video
The film/video collection contains approximately 700 reels and 420 VHS videotapes documenting a wide range of subjects and titles. The bulk of the material dates from 1930 to 1965. The footage includes sound and silent, color and black and white. Much of the footage was taken by amateur photographers.

Still Photography
The still photography collection contains approximately 20,000 negatives, 50,000 prints and 5,000 slides. The bulk of these images date from 1880 to 1970 and are almost exclusively black and white. These images document a wide variety of topics, circus titles and people.

Manuscripts
The collection includes the personal papers of owners, staff and performers, and organizational records of circuses. There is approximately 500 cu. ft. of material. The largest body of records is from the Gollmar Bros. Circus, and the Ringling organization.

Route Books, Route Cards & Route Sheets
This includes 441 volumes of route books dating from 1842 to the present and 7 cu. ft. of route cards and sheets. These items document the routes and activities of a circus in a given year.

Music
Arrangements and sheet music totaling 180 cu. ft. comprise the music collection, in addition to a small number of music manuscripts.

Books
The library maintains a collection of over 4000 titles that relate to 19th and 20th century circus history.

Serials
The serials collection includes 144 different titles including complete sets of Bandwagon, Billboard, Circus Report, New York Clipper and White Tops, in addition to a partial set of Show World.

Vertical File Materials
Magazine articles, journal articles and clippings from a number of sources serve as a rich source for overviews of various topics, individuals and circus titles.

Wild West
The Library holdings include a broad selection of wild west show materials from the 1880s to 1940s including programs, posters, heralds and couriers, route books, still photographs and related materials, along with very limited amounts of business records.

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Research at the Library

The Museum encourages the use of its collections for the dissemination of knowledge and makes the collection available to the public through exhibitions, programs, publications and loans.

The Museum's staff members or volunteers will answer questions about the collections over the phone, by letter, by fax, by e-mail, or on site. Information is available about American circuses, as well as general circus topics and people. Circus title listings and a name finding aid are available.  Genealogical information is very limited.

The library is free and open to the public when staff are present. The entrance is 415 Lynn Street.  If you plan to visit, it is strongly recommended that you contact us before finalizing travel plans.  Please contact the library at 608-356-8341 or ringmaster@circusworldmuseum to make an appointment.

PLEASE NOTE:  You will not get a response from us if you have a spam blocker that requires us to fill out a form to gain access to your site.  If you want to be contacted by e-mail, you will need to approve our e-mail address.  We are not always able to return long-distance calls.  If you wish to talk to us by phone, please call us, and try back if you do not hear from us within 48 hours.  . 

Fee-based services

PHOTOCOPIES 
***$0.25 per page for all copies made by the patron at the microfilm reader, and for all photocopies made by staff during the patron's visit to the Library.

***$0.50 per page for all copies requested by patrons by phone or mail.  Mailed items will have an additional charge to cover postage.  The minimum mail order charge is $10, and covers up to 20 copies in a single mailing.  

RESEARCH
When detailed research is required and a visit is not possible, staff will do the research at a charge of $15.00 per half hour for up to 1 hour's work.  Additional time can be contracted.  Contact the library for details.

PHOTOGRAPHY
***Photographs or other visual materials may be ordered through the library.  The price varies depending on the type of copy requested along with the quantity.  Ask the library for details.

LOANS
***Books, films, videotapes, and audio recordings.  All items loaned are duplicate copies.  The Library loans books, magazine issues, films, videos, and sound recordings.  The fee is $5 for each item, with an additional charge for postage.  The loan period is 6 weeks for books and serials, 2 weeks for other items.

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Location and Hours

The Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center is located at 415 Lynn Street in Baraboo.

Hours
Appointments are required until further notice. 

Closed Holidays

Research assistance may be requested via e-mail to ringmaster@circusworldmuseum.com or by letter to:

Circus World Museum Library
550 Water Street

Baraboo, WI 53913

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