It is the purpose of the Library of American History to stem this loss by collecting and preserving all published materials on the history, personalities, cultural and politics of the American people, and by making such materials readily available in perpetuity to scholars, students, teachers and the general public.

To fulfill this goal, the Library will establish a priority list of books and periodicals in greatest danger of disappearance, and aggressively seek to acquire them through market purchases or donations. The Library's Advisory Commission of Historians will assist in establishing these priorities. The Library will also acquire all other books and periodicals on American history with the goal of making the Library one of the most comprehensive collections of books on American history.

The Library will also advise other libraries - public, university, school and trade - of this collection and preservation effort, and encourage them to donate to the Library books and periodicals on American history that would otherwise be thrown away, or sold in bulk at a fraction of potential value.

The Library will also encourage individual collectors and estates to bequeath to the Library their private collections, on a tax deductible basis, that would otherwise be liquidated at auction for a fraction of value.