The Lamplighter Memorial Library is dedicated to the memory of Fr. Lucian Kemble, OFM – an avid astronomer.
Library hours are normally 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after each Regular Meeting. RASC members may borrow library material, normally due for return at the next Regular Meeting.
Questions or suggestions can be sent to lamplighter@edmontonrasc.com.
Lamplighter Library Online Catalogue
The library is catalogued through iCollect Books. The catalogue can be accessed at
https://www.icollecteverything.com/share/1408574/book_Books/main/title/.
Searching the Catalogue
The search function is limited to the book title. However, the collection has a dropdown list of sort options. You can sort by author, publisher, publication date etc. For example, use the sort option ‘Subgenre’ to show the books in each subject area (alphabetically). The subjects are:
A. Introduction to Astronomy
B. Observing Basics and Charts
C. Atlases – General
D. General Astronomy
E. Telescopes, Astrophotography, Equipment
F. Earth, The Moon, Satellites, Eclipses, Auroras, Climate
G. Solar System – Planets, Moons, Asteroids
H. Comets and Meteors
I. The Sun and Stars
J. Deep Sky
K. The Universe
L. Basic Sciences – Physics, Astrophysics, Chemistry
M. Cosmology
N. History, Biography, Memoir
O. [not used]
P. Popular Science
Q. Juvenile
R. To Boldly Go – Space Exploration
S. Extraterrestrial Life
T. Humour, Fiction, Poetry, Classics
U. RASC &Regional Publications, Local History
V. [not used]
W. [not used]
X. Advanced Astronomy, Catalogues
Y. Advanced Science, Mathematics
Z. MIA missing (online catalogue only)
Sorting by ‘Storage Location’ will bring up the list as catalogued A-Z above. Books added to the collection since the creation of the new subject headings are numbered 3000 and up.
RASC recommended books have a 5-star rating.
Some books are physically on the shelves as well as available free online. The shelf storage number is given, and the internet link is included under ‘Notes.’ Online books are available at the Internet Archive at https://archive.org or the Open Library https://openlibrary.org. You need to open a free account.
Some missing books are still catalogued as there may be a chance of retrieving them.
Caveat: Many of the subject headings are new and books may be misclassified. The catalogue may show an incorrect edition. The synopsis is often manually entered from information in other databases – Amazon, Goodreads, publisher websites. Errors and omissions can be sent to lamplighter@edmontonrasc.com.
The Book of the Month and donated books are added monthly. The collection will be weeded annually to make shelf space for new books. Suggestions for the removal of dated or inaccurate books are welcome, as are recommendations for purchases. The library’s present focus is to add the books listed as recommended reading at page 10 of the RASC 2026 Observer’s Handbook.