The Selima Room / Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
15210 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD
Visit the website
VIEW ON MAP |  GET DRIVING DIRECTIONS

NOTE: The Selima Room collection is currently closed to public view and is in temporary storage, pending relocation to the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) library and museum complex, to be built on the campus of Goucher College in Baltimore, MD.   

The Selima Room is a collection of books, periodicals and clippings pertaining to Thoroughbred breeding and racing, with special emphasis on Maryland’s contributions to the sport. This collection is one of the few horse racing and breeding libraries housed in a public library in this country. The room takes its name from Selima, an English mare imported to Maryland in the 1750s that once roamed and grazed the grounds where the Bowie Branch Library, home of the Selima Room, now stands.

Stud books (American, English and French), racing calendars (English) and racing manuals (American) form the historical core of the collection, with supplemental volumes covering genetics, breeding management, veterinary medicine, great racehorses, successful jockeys and outstanding trainers. Some of the latter include individual titles on famous horses such as Secretariat, Man o’ War and Seabiscuit.

The pamphlet file consists of booklets, clippings and other ephemera dealing with horse racing and breeding, particularly as it pertains to Thoroughbreds and Maryland. Other equine aspects are represented as well; there are folders for other horse breeds such as Appaloosas and Quarter Horses, and other sports such as harness racing and polo. Art featuring horses adorns the walls.

The Selima Room is accessible whenever the Bowie Library is open. The main users of this collection are Thoroughbred breeders, owners and trainers, but jockeys, equine studies students and 4-H members as well as general racegoers and horse lovers will find something of interest here as well. See the website for details.

Photos by Conni Leigh James unless otherwise noted.