The American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) was founded in 1968 to accumulate, organize, and preserve philatelic information including publications and other data relating to the stamp collecting hobby and to make it available to American Philatelic Society members, staff, and the public. Today the American Philatelic Research Library has one of the world's largest and most accessible collections of philatelic literature, with nearly four miles of shelving containing more than 23,000 book titles and 5,700 periodicals, research materials, and archival collections.