History: Online Archives

The Online Archive of California provides free public access to descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 200 contributing institutions throughout California.

University of California's free public gateway to primary sources. Contains digitized items including photographs, newspaper pages, political cartoons, art, diaries, oral histories, and more.

Descriptions of archival collections held by libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives worldwide.

Jewish global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context. The Museum of Tolerance is located in LA.

Researchers from around the world turn to the Feuchtwanger Library for their research on the German-speaking exiles in Southern California and other related subjects.

Independent research library with more than 11 million items spanning the 11th to 21st centuries. Appointment needed to access reading room.

Collection of art and artifacts from the Cold War era. Collection materials on the German Democratic Republic; Wende Moments; Personal Histories and Everyday Life; and Public and Private Interaction.

The library's non-circulating collection includes photographs, documents, oral histories, and books to support research on the Holocaust in its historical context.

Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the United States.

Multiple digital collections containing oral histories and personal experiences with genocide.

HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.

The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form" and offers provide free access to materials.

The California State Library is the state's information hub, preserving California's cultural heritage and connecting people and the government to library resources.

California State Archives digital exhibit demonstrating the profound impact of World War II on California.

Compilation of primary sources and other materials concerning some of the 20th Century's key trials.

AIISF Online repository of stories entitled “Immigrant Voices."

Direct testimony in the words of ex-slaves collected from the late 18th century to the 1930s. Edited by Steven Mintz, Univ. of Houston.

Selected web sites concerned with Native America. Approximately 5,000 links in 31 categories. Strong on Native American art and on contemporary political and commercial issues.

Contains illustrations, cartoons, editorials, news stories, and more. Includes material on slavery, emancipation, black military service, political participation, women, and anti-black violence.

Dust Bowl historical photographs, biographies, videos and more.

Interesting NPR article illustrating the history of the USDA's food pyramid and nutrition advice.

U.S. Census records include wide-ranging population demographics. Data on individual people is not available to the public until 72 years after a given census was taken.

Historical records including Native Americans from the Census Bureau.

The National Archives has the census schedules available from 1790 to 1950.

The David M. Rubenstein National Institute for Holocaust Documentation contains documents on the fate of victims, survivors, rescuers, liberators, and more.

NARA records created or received by the U.S. Government during and after World War II that document Nazi war crimes, wartime refugee issues, and more.

British national museum organization with branches across England. Provides resources on the study and understanding of the history of modern war, from WWI to today.

National Archives digital collection of WWII records, including finding aids.

Features immersive exhibits and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories.

Nonpartisan research and policy center that examines the ways that bigotry and terrorism, both domestically and internationally, deny civil or human rights.

Produced by the Japanese-Americans interned at assembly centers and relocation centers around the country during World War II.

Online primary sources covering the Slavery & Abolition Era, Civil War & Reconstruction Era, Jim Crow Era, the New Deal & WWII, Civil Rights & Black Power Movements, and more.

Sound recordings, photographs, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience, hosted by the Library of Congress.

Search all the images in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division.

Compilation of 100 milestone U.S. documents by the National Archives and Records Administration. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.

Presents 396 pamphlets published from 1822 through 1909, by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics.

Over 700k items digitized with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.

Keyword searchable digital collection including the Chicago Tribune, historical photographs, and more!

BPL links to online collections, government documents, historical newspapers, and special collections material.

300,000 images. The Advanced Search screen lets you search all collections, or limit to one or a few.

The Regional Oral History Office documents the history of California, the nation, and the interconnected global arena. Contains carefully researched, audio/video-recorded oral histories and historical materials.

Digital images of drawings, illuminated manuscripts, maps, photographs, posters, prints, and more.