The library provides researchers and the general public access to over 5,000 books and 79 periodicals covering all aspects of Cape Ann life. These include the history, growth and development of Gloucester as a major fishing port; its role as a gathering place for artists; and extensive genealogies of local families, especially the early settlers.

This special collection is the bequest of Ralph Maud, professor in the Simon Fraser University Department of English from the charter year 1965 to his retirement in 1994 and the founder of the library’s Contemporary Literature Collection, which has Charles Olson (1910–1970) as its pivotal figure. The Maud / Olson Library is a project of the Cape Ann Museum Library & Archives and is located at the CAM Green, 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester MA.