Sam Venturella Memorial Library

Photo courtesy of Dorothy Venturella

Sam Venturella, late Executive Director (1979-1997) and President (1979-2000) of The Henry George School of Social Science, Chicago, Illinois, built and maintained a collection of books relevant to Georgist interests. Even as he became a skilled Internet user, he realized that our collection of hardcopy volumes remained essential. In the years since Sam’s death, we have enhanced the collection. Christine Kintner cataloged the collection, which is maintained by HGS Librarian and Secretary Irene Marmi. The catalog is here. (Though stored as an xls file, it was created using, not Microsoft Excel, but LibreOffice Calc. We therefore suggest using LibreOffice as the most reliable way to access it.)

In addition to the books, School files include a pamphlet collection and archival material, neither of which has been cataloged for on-line presentation. A volunteer to undertake this task would be welcomed. The Sam Venturella Memorial Library is a collection of hardcopy books, not online documents. But some of the books, as well as many other items of Georgist interest, are available online. Although there is no unified catalog of these, good places to start your search include the School of Cooperative IndividualismWealth and Want, and the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.


Using the Library

The Library is available for reference use by appointment. Borrowing privileges are limited to HGS members and those who have completed at least one course, and require co-signature of an HGS instructor.