Los Alamos Museums and Library

The Bradbury Science Museum presents a history and background of nuclear weapons, and the materials and research that enable their development and maintenance. The history of Los Alamos in the modern era is inexorably connected to the Manhattan Project history that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II. A time line display shows the world events that led to the Manhattan Project, Newspaper headlines announce world events, Videos, photos, documents, and objects all tell the story of life at Los Alamos before and during the Manhattan Project. Visitors also learn about nuclear weapons, plutonium, the Nevada test site, nuclear testing, and other aspects of nuclear weapons. Other research performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, involving the human genome, earth and environmental sciences, space science research, and other branches of research are displayed here.

The Los Alamos Historical Museum is a two minutes walk from the Science Museum. The museum exhibits will walk you through the history of Los Alamos, from the time the Pajarito Plateau (where Los Alamos is located) was formed, through ancient pueblo times, the Ranch School, The Manhattan Project, till the current era.

Although not an "official" museum, don't pass up on a visit to the Black Hole, a collection of the Los Alamos Lab's surplus equipment, that is often used in movie sets. The owner, a colorful local character named Ed Grothus, may be around to entertain you with his unique perspective.

The Los Alamos Public Library (there is a branch in White Rock) has a large collection of books, journals, CD's, DVD's and more. It is housed in an unusual building that is quite spectacular in itself. It is a popular congregation site for people of all ages.

In addition to the public library, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has a large technical library that is open to the public for several hours daily, during workdays. You can browse its online catalog to see whether the reference you are looking for is there.

The University of New Mexico, Los Alamos branch, also maintains a library in Los Alamos. You can find more information at their home page.