The Syz Family Nature Lending Library
Welcome to NBNC's Nature Lending Library! We have over 2000 books waiting to be explored, from bird taxonomy to children's nonfiction to tropical travelogues. The Syz Family Library is open to the public, and NBNC members may check out books. Enjoy!
Book Donations
Thank you for your interest in contributing to our growing library. Please read the following intake guidelines and email us before donating books.
- Except in rare circumstances, we will only accept books published after 1990.
- Books must be within the subject area of nature, ecology, place-based and environmental education, and related fields. See our reference system below for the categories of books we seek.
- We cannot accept periodicals or magazines.
- Books must be in good condition and free of dust or mildew.
- If you would like to be recognized by name in our catalog, please include a note with your full name in each book.
- Books must not be in our catalog already.
- We cannot accept books for book sales, and we do not have the capacity to re-home books. Donated books not fitting these intake criteria will be recycled at the expense of NBNC and its staff.
- Due to limited space and staff/volunteer capacity, we may not be able to accept all or part of your book donation, but please know that we still appreciate your support.
100 ANTHROPOLOGY
110 GENERAL SCIENCE
111 Astronomy & Astrophysics
112 Earth Sciences, Geology, Geography
113 Paleontology, Fossils, Prehistoric Life
114 Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry
115 Biology
115.1 Genetics, Evolution, Extinction
115.2 Animal Behavior
116 Natural History
116.1 Nature in Winter
116.2 Pollinators & Pollination
120 BIODIVERSITY, ECOLOGY & ECOSYSTEMS
121 Grasslands
122 Wetlands
123 Forests
124 Deserts
125 Mountains
126 Marine & Tidal
127 Freshwater systems
128 Human Ecology
129 Conservation & Management
130 ZOOLOGY
131 Birds
131.1 Raptors
131.2 Passerines (songbirds), parrots
131.3 Shorebirds, seabirds, waders, and gulls
131.4 Waterfowls, loons, grebes, and cormorants
131.5 Gallinaceous birds, pigeons, and doves
131.6 Woodpeckers, kingfishers, swifts, and hummingbirds
132 Herpetology (Amphibians & Reptiles)
132.1 Salamanders
132.2 Frogs & Toads
132.3 Turtles
132.4 Snakes & Lizards
133 Fishes
134 Mammals
134.1 Carnivores
134.2 Rodents & lagomorphs, and allies
134.3 Ungulates
134.4 Bats
134.5 Marine Mammals
135 Invertebrates
135.1 Arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans)
135.11 Butterflies & Moths
135.12 Beetles
135.13 Dragonflies & Damselflies
135.14 Bees, Wasps, Ants
135.15 Arachnids
135.16 Crustaceans
135.2 Molluscs
135.3 Worms (flat, round, segmented)
135.4 Echinoderms (starfish, sea cucumbers, & kin)
150 BOTANY & MYCOLOGY
151 Wildflowers
152 Trees & Shrubs
153 Grasses, sedges & rushes
154 Ferns, mosses & lichens
155 Fungi
160 LIFESTYLE & SOCIETY
161 Gardening, Food & Herbs
162 Green Living & Sustainability
163 Climate Change, Land Use & Environmental Policy
164 Outdoor Recreation
170 SCIENCE & NATURE WRITING
171 Memoir & Biographies
172 Birding
173 Photography
180 NATURE & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
190 FIELD GUIDES (General/Northeast/North America)
191 Birds (General/North America)
191.1 Raptors
191.2 Passerines (songbirds), parrots
191.3 Shorebirds, seabirds, waders, and gulls
191.4 Waterfowls, loons, grebes, and cormorants
191.5 Gallinaceous birds, pigeons, and doves
191.6 Woodpeckers, kingfishers, swifts, and hummingbirds
192 Herpetology (Amphibians & Reptiles)
192.1 Salamanders
192.2 Frogs & Toads
192.3 Turtles
192.4 Snakes & Lizards
193 Fishes
194 Mammals
194.1 Carnivores
194.2 Rodents & lagomorphs, and allies
194.3 Ungulates
194.4 Bats
194.5 Marine Mammals
195 Invertebrates
195.1 Arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans)
195.11 Butterflies & Moths
195.12 Beetles
195.13 Dragonflies & Damselflies
195.14 Bees, Wasps, Ants
195.15 Arachnids
195.16 Crustaceans
195.2 Molluscs
195.3 Worms (flat, round, segmented)
195.4 Echinoderms (starfish, sea cucumbers, & kin)
196 Botany
196.1 Wildflowers
196.2 Trees & Shrubs
196.3 Grasses, sedges & rushes
196.4 Ferns, mosses & lichens
196.5 Fungi
197 Tracking & Sign
198 Astronomy
200 REGIONAL GUIDES (Guides based on locale)
201 North America
201.1 Vermont
201.2 New England
201.3 Northeast
201.4 Southeast
201.5 Great Plains & Midwest
201.6 Southwest
201.7 West & Pacific Northwest
201.9 Canada
202 Central & South America, Caribbean
203 Africa
204 Europe
205 Asia
206 Australia, Oceania, Antarctica, and the Arctic
210 VERMONT
210.1 Natural History & Ecology
210.2 Outdoor recreation
220 CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION (alphabetized by author)
230 CHILDREN’S FICTION (alphabetized by author)
BIPOC Authors Collection
In Spring 2022 we held a book sale of our library overstock and used the revenue to purchase a collection of nature-themed books by Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) authors. To see what we purchased, click the link below.
| John C Robinson | Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to become Birdwatchers |
| J Drew Lanham | The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature |
| J. Drew Lanham | Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Other Beasts |
| Dorceta Taylor | The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection |
| Carolyn Finney | Black Faces, White Spaces |
| Ibrahim Abdul Matin | Green Deen - What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet |
| Alison Hawthorne Deming; Lauret Savoy | The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World |
| Derick Lugo | The Unlikely Thru-Hiker |
| Ingrid Waldron | There's Something in the Water |
| Lauret Savoy | Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape |
| Chanda Prescod Weinstein' | The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter |
| Camille T. Dungy (Editor) | Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry |
| Linda Hogan; Deena Matzger; Brenda Peterson | Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals |
| Clint Carroll | Roots of Our Renewal: Ethnobotany and Cherokee Environmental Governance |
| Wangari Maathai | Unbowed: A Memoir |
| Sherri Mitchell | Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living a Spirit-Based Change |
| Bobby Lake-Thom | Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies |
| Mya Thompson | Ruby's Birds |
| Susan Edwards Richmond | Bird Count |
| Carme Lemniscates | Birds |
| Matthew Burgess, Shahrzad Maydani (Contributor) | Bird Boy |
| Julie Flett | Birdsong |
| Elise Guyette | Discovering Black Vermont |
| Jay Griffiths | Why Rebel |
| Joseph Bruchac | Bowman's Store |
| Joseph Bruchac | Keepers of the Earth |
| Fred Wiseman | Seven Sisters |
| Fred Wiseman | The Voice of the Dawn |
| Michael Caduto & Joseph Bruchac | Native American Gardening |
| Winona LaDuke | All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life |
| Dina Gilio-Whitaker | As Long as the Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock |
| Robert Goodby | A Deep Presence |
| Colin Calloway | The Western Abenakis of Vermont, 1600-1800 |
| Trudy Parker | Aunt Sarah: Woman of the Dawnland |
| bell hooks | Teaching to Transgress |
| Paul Kivel | Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice |
| Joe Feagin | Racist America: Roots, Current Realities and Future Reparations |
| Judith Katz | White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training |
| Louise Derman-Sparks | Teaching/Learning Anti-Racism: A Developmental Approach |
| Patricia J. Williams | Alchemy of Race & Rights: Diary of a Law Professor |
"I believe the best way to begin reconnecting humanity's heart, mind, and soul to nature
is for us to share our individual stories."
— J. Drew Lantham
713 Elm Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802) 229-6206
Hours: Center Open Monday-Friday 9-4
Trails Open 24/7
