Zotero:
Zotero: Works with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari. Saves citations to articles, books, webpages, and more with a single click. Install the Zotero Word plug-in to quickly create bibliographies and add citations to papers. Can be linked to Dropbox accounts to store and organize PDFs. Open source.

Zotero Wiki: This site was originally created as a Zotero resource for a one day training course, Managing Personal Digital Research Information, at the British Library in September 2013 and March 2014.


Refworks:
Refworks: Online citation management licensed for all CUNY campuses. Generate footnotes and bibliography in any writing style; organize citations and notes in your private library. 25 MB limit on individual file size; 5 GB individual account limit. Group Code: RWGradC There is a new interface available for RefWorks; see the library guide Citation Managers & Style Guides for more information.


Mendeley:
Mendeley: Mendeley is a free reference manager and an academic social network that also allows you to collect and annotate PDFs. Owned by Elsevier.


Find Grants and Research Awards:
Pivot-RP: Grants, internships, and graduate and post-graduate fellowships in all subject areas. Search for open funding opportunities and information about previously awarded grants. Users may create an optional personal account to use enhanced features such as saving searches and tracking funding opportunities. Once you create an account, you can also claim and configure your user profile to receive personalized automated funding recommendations targeted to your research interests. To create an account, select the Use Email Address/Create Password option and fill out the form using your @gradcenter.cuny.edu or @gc.cuny.edu address. For Affiliated Member Institution, select "Graduate Center, The City University of New York." Look for the verification email in your inbox to finish the process. After the initial setup, you will be recognized as a GC researcher whenever you log into your personal account.


l in your inbox to finish the process. After the initial setup, you will be recognized as a GC researcher whenever you log into your personal account.Social Science Research Foundation Fellowships List: The Social Science Research Council is an independent, nonprofit international organization founded in 1923. It nurtures new generations of social scientists, fosters innovative research, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues.


University Funding Directories:
Duke University Office of Research Support: Duke University ORS maintains a database of funding opportunities by discipline. Opportunities are curated from a variety of sources and include funding announcements from federal, foundation, industry, and professional association sponsors. The information contained is NOT limited to Duke internal opportunities.

GRAPES - UCLA Graduate & Postdoctoral Extramural Support: Search for awards from among 625 scholarships, grants, fellowships, and postdoctoral awards. Free-to-search for applicants to any graduate program, to graduate students working on a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation, and to postdoc scholars.

Michigan State University Grants for Individuals Compilation: Includes a frequently updated comprehensive list of grants to individuals organized by academic discipline or subject, population group, and academic level.


Support for Sponsored Research:
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs: The office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) is the CUNY Graduate School and University Center’s central administrative unit for overseeing GC-CUNY applications for, and awards of, governmental and foundation funding.


Fundraising for Non-Profit Organizations:
Free Training from Candid.org (formerly Foundation Center and Guidestar): Classroom and Webinar trainings are available led by Candid.  This link will provide dates and the ability to register.


Career and Job Outlook:
Versatile PhD: A a free community, and a premium content subscription service whose mission is to help humanities and social science graduate students, ABDs and PhDs identify, prepare for and excel in non-academic careers. Access to the Premium Content Area is available for all Graduate Center affiliates.


Preparing to Graduate?:
Library deposit is the final degree requirement for Graduate Center doctoral and master's students. If you are preparing to graduate, review the the Dissertations and Theses guide and consult with your program office for requirements and deadlines. Questions? Contact the Dissertation Office at deposit@gc.cuny.edu.


Finding Dissertations:
There is no single source for a comprehensive dissertation search. WorldCat and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global include most American dissertations. Dissertations @ The Center for Research Libraries lends non-American dissertations to member borrowers. Library catalogs and specialized repositories contain other titles. Request any dissertation through Interlibrary Loan . Though not every title is available through ILL, it is worth a try.


Graduate Center Dissertations and Theses Collections:


Graduate Center Dissertations and Theses Collections:Graduate Center Dissertations and Theses Collections:In 1961, CUNY's Graduate School and University Center became the doctorate-granting institution for The City University of New York, using a consortial model of graduate education that drew upon faculty and facilities from across CUNY. The first graduates of the first Ph.D. program deposited their dissertations in 1965. Print copies Bound copies of most dissertations from 1965–2015 are located in the library and shelved chronologically, then alphabetically by student's last name: 1965–1988: 2nd floor 1989–2015: 1st floor Dissertation Reading Room To aid browsing, bound copies were color-coded by degree program, creating the multi-color shelves that are now the hallmark of the Dissertation Reading Room. See the dissertations color chart for more information. Some programs offered joint degrees with other CUNY schools, and bound copies of these dissertations were cataloged by and shelved at their respective campus libraries. These include: Ph.D.


h other CUNY schools, and bound copies of these dissertations were cataloged by and shelved at their respective campus libraries. These include: Ph.D.h other CUNY schools, and bound copies of these dissertations were cataloged by and shelved at their respective campus libraries. These include: Ph.D.h other CUNY schools, and bound copies of these dissertations were cataloged by and shelved at their respective campus libraries. These include: Ph.D.Program in Business: locate bound dissertations at Baruch College's Newman Library Ph.D. Program in Criminal Justice: locate bound dissertations at John Jay College's Lloyd Sealy Library Ph.D. Program in Engineering: locate dissertations at City College's Cohen Library Bound copies of master's theses are located on the 2nd floor (see map ). Theses are shelved chronologically, then alphabetically by student's last name. In November 2015, the library ceased archiving print copies of dissertations and theses, moving to a fully electronic thesis and dissertation program. Digital Access As of 2014, all Graduate Center dissertations, theses, and capstone projects are posted to CUNY Academic Works . Some are immediately available to read and download, and some become available after an embargo period set by the author.


ted to CUNY Academic Works . Some are immediately available to read and download, and some become available after an embargo period set by the author.ted to CUNY Academic Works . Some are immediately available to read and download, and some become available after an embargo period set by the author.ted to CUNY Academic Works . Some are immediately available to read and download, and some become available after an embargo period set by the author.Digitized versions of pre-2014 dissertations and doctoral capstone projects are available to the CUNY community via our Retrospective Dissertations, 1965-2013 database (CUNY Login required). Some pre-2014 works have been added to CUNY Academic Works at the author's request, with more being added each month. Browse by year to view select dissertations going back to 1966. Alumni who graduated before 2014 and would like to make their own GC dissertation publicly available should email deposit@gc.cuny.edu for assistance. We are unable to add pre-2014 master's theses at this time. Doctoral dissertations are also available in ProQuest's Digital Dissertations subscription database (log in with your GC network ID). The database includes digital reproductions from the UMI microform going back to 1965.


Dissertation Databases & Repositories:
Dissertations & Theses Global: Indexes two-million dissertations from over one-thousand institutions, with citations from 1861-1980 and abstracts from 1980 to present. Includes the full text of most post-1996 CUNY dissertations and many post-1996 dissertations from other institutions, as well as thousands of earlier ones. To limit your search to CUNY dissertations, include 0046 in your search statement, selecting the school name/code search field. Non-U.S.dissertations can be searched in the Center for Research Libraries' catalog.


ur search statement, selecting the school name/code search field. Non-U.S.dissertations can be searched in the Center for Research Libraries' catalog.Center for Research Libraries (CRL) Online Catalog: The Center for Research Libraries provides a shared collection of five million books, journals, documents and newspapers to supplement member libraries’ holdings in the humanities, science, and social sciences. With a strategic emphasis on expanding electronic access to international primary source collections, CRL participates in a number of cooperative digitization efforts, yielding millions of pages of digitized content to date. CRL resources include:


ons, CRL participates in a number of cooperative digitization efforts, yielding millions of pages of digitized content to date. CRL resources include:The largest circulating collection of newspapers in North America – more than 16,000 newspaper titles from all world regions and from every U.S. state – mainstream dailies, underground and alternative press titles, rare publications from international conflict zones, U.S. ethnic titles, early African-American newspapers, and radio broadcast reports and transcripts Foreign journals rarely held in U.S. libraries, with a focus on science and technology Access to rich holdings in science, technology, and engineering print serials through a partnership with the Linda Hall Library More than 800,000 non U.S. dissertations Area Studies: major collections of news, government documents, and archives from Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Southeast and South Asia Millions of pages of primary source documents, including major sets from the National Archives of the U.S. and the U.K., and many special collections from around the world U.S.


ry source documents, including major sets from the National Archives of the U.S. and the U.K., and many special collections from around the world U.S.ry source documents, including major sets from the National Archives of the U.S. and the U.K., and many special collections from around the world U.S.ry source documents, including major sets from the National Archives of the U.S. and the U.K., and many special collections from around the world U.S.and international legal and government resources


he National Archives of the U.S. and the U.K., and many special collections from around the world U.S.and international legal and government resourcesNetworked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Global ETD Search: NDLTD's Global ETD Search is a free service that allows researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations based on keyword, date, institution, language and subject.

Open Access Theses and Dissertations: Metadata from over 1100 institutions, indexes over 2.5 million theses and dissertations.

Additional Dissertation Databases: The library's Dissertations and Theses guide lists many additional databases of dissertations and theses.


Share Your Work:
You wrote it...now what? How will you put your work out into the world? CUNY offers a variety of platforms for posting, publishing, or otherwise sharing your work online. Different platforms have different features and purposes—for example, what's best for sharing an article you previously published in a subscription-based journal may not be best for making an educational text you wrote discoverable by other instructors. This page summarizes the different publishing platforms available to you as a member of the CUNY community.


Questions?:
Overwhelmed by the options? All Graduate Center students, faculty, and staff are welcome to contact us for additional information or guidance about platforms, copyright, permissions, etc.: Jill Cirasella , Scholarly Communication Librarian and University Liaison, is the library's primary point person for questions about scholarly publishing, including questions about CUNY Academic Works, copyright, fair use, publisher contracts, and Creative Commons licenses. Elvis Bakaitis , Head of Reference, is the library's primary point person for questions creating and sharing open educational resources (OER), including questions about Pressbooks, Manifold, and OpenEd CUNY.


CUNY Academic Works:
CUNY Academic Works collects, preserves, and provides public access to scholarly, creative, and pedagogical works created by members of the CUNY community. A service of the CUNY libraries, Academic Works serves several important purposes: as a primary publication venue for some works (e.g., dissertations, theses, and capstone projects , as well as white papers and conference presentations); as a site to share and showcase works published elsewhere (e.g., scholarly articles, book chapters); as a place to satisfy grant funders' open access and open data requirements. The Graduate Center section of Academic Works a great place for Graduate Center students, faculty, and staff to publicly share their work with the world. Learn more about how to add your work to CUNY Academic Works, or create an account to start uploading your work.


Pressbooks:
Pressbooks is online book production software, with editing functionality based on Wordpress. You can use Pressbooks to publish textbooks, scholarly monographs, syllabi, white papers, and more, in multiple formats including: Designed PDF (for print-on-demand and digital distribution) MOBI (for Kindle ebook readers) EPUB (for all other ebook readers) Pressbooks allows you to "edit as you go," making updates that are immediately live on the site. The platform is commonly used to create and share Open Educational Resources — typically more substantive texts, such as full length books or resource guides. Get started by signing up for a CUNY Pressbooks account .


Manifold:
Manifold @CUNY is a digital publishing platform where you can share your own scholarship or educational materials, upload texts that are openly licensed or in the public domain, upload texts for collective annotation with Hypothes.is , and more. Another option is to use the Manifold Reading Groups to build your own course reader from materials already available on the CUNY instance of Manifold. Check out CUNY Student Editions for examples of public domain texts that are "accessibly designed for students" in Manifold. Additional project collections include Libros En Espanol and Teaching and Pedagogy Resources . Manifold is best used as a display platform for pre-existing or finalized texts. As a creation platform, it lacks the editing functionality of Pressbooks (there is no way to modify a text once uploaded), which can be a barrier for those seeking to make continuous adjustments to their work. Get started by signing up for a Manifold @CUNY account .


OpenEd CUNY:
OpenEd CUNY is a hub for sharing Open Educational Resources (OER) created at CUNY. Built as a part of the University's involvement in the New York State OER Scale Up Initiative, the site is used by CUNY's twenty-five campuses to facilitate OER-enabled pedagogy and make the work that faculty, staff, and students are creating more visible and shareable. If you're interested in getting a sense of OER at CUNY, OpenEd CUNY allows you to search by material type (syllabus, module, full course, game), educational level, media format (audio, video, eBook), as well as subject area. Get started by signing up for an OpenEd CUNY account.


SocArXiv: Open archive of the social sciences:
SocArXiv (pronounced sosh-archive ) is a preprint server created by sociologists, librarians, and open science advocates. Visit SocArxiv.org to deposit papers, and SocOpen.org for the latest news.


Journal Policies:
SHERPA/RoMEO: 95% of academic publishers offer standing permission for OA repository publication for some version of a work; check a journal's publishing policy here.

Wiley Author Compliance Tool: Search by funder, institution, or journal to see an overview of Wiley's open access policies.


From Practical Guidance when submitting journal articles: Understanding your rights (excerpt reproduced courtesy SPARC): "Relationships are changing due to the rise of digital publishing in academia. In order to maximize the value of the research you produce in this new environment, it is important for you to take an active role in managing the copyrights to your work. U.S. Copyright law gives the author of an original work, such as a scholarly article, the exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, adapt, publicly perform, and publicly display the copyrighted work. Copyright protection is now automatic. The author obtains these exclusive rights at the moment the copyrighted work has been “fixed in a tangible medium,” such as when a written work has been saved on a computer’s hard drive or printed. The author retains these exclusive rights up until the moment the author signs a written agreement to transfer some or all of these exclusive rights.


The author retains these exclusive rights up until the moment the author signs a written agreement to transfer some or all of these exclusive rights. The author retains these exclusive rights up until the moment the author signs a written agreement to transfer some or all of these exclusive rights. The author retains these exclusive rights up until the moment the author signs a written agreement to transfer some or all of these exclusive rights.(By contrast, an author may give others non-exclusive permission to use the copyrighted work in a variety of ways, including through verbal agreement.) A transfer of any exclusive right is truly exclusive—once transferred the author may no longer exercise that right. If the author intends to retain the right to make any further uses of the copyrighted work, or intends to grant others permission to make any use of the copyrighted work, the author must make this clear in a written transfer agreement. As a scholar or scientist, when you publish in a journal you are typically asked by the publisher to sign such a transfer agreement, or contract, that describes the assignment of various rights to the publisher in the intellectual property you have created. Thus, the agreements often deprive you of certain rights that you may not wish to forfeit, such as your right to post your article on the public Internet or to make copies for classroom use.


f certain rights that you may not wish to forfeit, such as your right to post your article on the public Internet or to make copies for classroom use.f certain rights that you may not wish to forfeit, such as your right to post your article on the public Internet or to make copies for classroom use.f certain rights that you may not wish to forfeit, such as your right to post your article on the public Internet or to make copies for classroom use.To take advantage of the greater opportunity now available to communicate your research results, you need these rights to the articles you produce."


e.To take advantage of the greater opportunity now available to communicate your research results, you need these rights to the articles you produce."The SPARC Author Addendum: Developed by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), this author addendum is "a legal instrument that you can use to modify your copyright transfer agreements with non-open access journal publishers" (website).


License Your Work:
The copyright holder has the exclusive right to copy, to prepare derivative works, to distribute, and to license the work. A traditional copyright license reserves all rights for the author; a Creative Commons license describes how the author allows the work to be used by others. For uses other than those explicitly licensed, or even for those uses permitted under law (such as fair use), researchers may contact authors for permission.

More on Creative Commons Licenses: Creative Commons copyright licenses forge a balance inside the traditional “all rights reserved” setting that copyright law creates. They give everyone a simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work. The combination forges a digital commons, a pool of content that can be copied, distributed, edited, remixed, and built upon, all within the boundaries of copyright law.


The New York Public Library defines archives as "the records created by people and organizations as they lived and worked." Archives usually consist of unpublished materials that accumulate organically over the course of time that were preserved for the enduring value of the information they contain, for their value as artifacts, or as evidence of the work or activities of the creator.  But they can contain just about anything that was created or saved by a person or organization. Materials are kept in their original order whenever possible, grouped into collections according to their source, and described in finding aids or collection records.


Materials relating to particular individuals, organizations, events and subjects will likely be scattered across multiple collections in various repositories.  And those sources, even taken together, will form an incomplete record since they will only consist of the materials that were saved and that have lasted.  Most of the records generated as people live and work aren’t saved at all.  So when you are looking for sources, remember that the historical record is likely incomplete.  Think about what might be missing.  And think creatively about where to find materials to answer your research questions. It can be very helpful to think in terms of collections of sources, such as personal papers or organizational records, or collections of oral histories, maps, photographs, texts, historical periodicals, audio recordings, directories, government documents, etc.  Look for haystacks rather than needles in haystacks.


graphs, texts, historical periodicals, audio recordings, directories, government documents, etc.  Look for haystacks rather than needles in haystacks.graphs, texts, historical periodicals, audio recordings, directories, government documents, etc.  Look for haystacks rather than needles in haystacks.graphs, texts, historical periodicals, audio recordings, directories, government documents, etc.  Look for haystacks rather than needles in haystacks.And think in terms of repositories.  The holdings of individual libraries and archives, when taken together, constitute unique cohesive resources.  When an archive holds a collection of photographs on a topic, for instance, chances are good that they will also hold manuscripts, books, periodicals, reference sources, and other materials related to those photographs.  So be certain to search at the repository level for other materials when you find yourself exploring an archival collection held there. Archival research can be simultaneously inspiring and tedious, enlightening and challenging, productive and time consuming.  More often than not, though, it is well worth the effort. For practical advice and a realistic summary of what archival research is like, see Chapter 9, " Archival Research ," in Zachary M . Schrag's The Princeton Guide to Historical Research .


Glossary of Archival Terms:


Glossary of Archival Terms:Glossary of Archival Terms:Following are definitions of some common archival terms.  For a comprehensive list, see the Dictionary of Archives Terminology , a handy online reference source from the Society of American Archivists. Archival Collection - A broad term encompassing both personal papers and organizational records collections. Archives - Records in any format created by or received and maintained by an organization that are determined to have permanent value. When housed in repositories outside the institution that created them, the collections are often called Organizational Records. Artificial Collections - Collections of items assembled by an individual or institution from a variety of sources, usually on a topic or event (the sinking of the Titanic or the March on Washington, e.g.), a person (Abraham Lincoln, e.g.), or a format (maps, menus, matchbook covers, postcards, product advertising, e.g.).


r the March on Washington, e.g.), a person (Abraham Lincoln, e.g.), or a format (maps, menus, matchbook covers, postcards, product advertising, e.g.).r the March on Washington, e.g.), a person (Abraham Lincoln, e.g.), or a format (maps, menus, matchbook covers, postcards, product advertising, e.g.).r the March on Washington, e.g.), a person (Abraham Lincoln, e.g.), or a format (maps, menus, matchbook covers, postcards, product advertising, e.g.).Examples include: The Radio Scripts Collection (NYPL Schomburg) and The World War I Collection (N-YHS). Institutional or Corporate Archive - A repository that holds records created by or received by its parent institution. The BAM Hamm Archives and the Carnegie Hall Archives are institutional repositories. The archives of some organizations, especially commercial enterprises, exist solely to serve internal needs and outside researchers may have limited or no access to the records. Manuscript Repository - An institution that collects historically valuable records of individuals, families, and organizations. The New-York Historical Society Library and The Manuscripts and Archives Division of the New York Public Library are manuscript repositories. Original Order is the arrangement of materials established by the creator of the records.


of the New York Public Library are manuscript repositories. Original Order is the arrangement of materials established by the creator of the records. of the New York Public Library are manuscript repositories. Original Order is the arrangement of materials established by the creator of the records. of the New York Public Library are manuscript repositories. Original Order is the arrangement of materials established by the creator of the records.Archivists maintain original order whenever possible because the arrangement can shed light on how an individual or organization functioned and can also simplify access to the materials. When there is no discernible order, archivists sort the materials into series such as correspondence, writings, photographs, clippings, etc., in order to facilitate research and access. Personal Papers or Manuscripts - Collections of materials in any format created by or received and maintained by an individual or family in the course of daily life. Examples include: the Harry Belafonte Papers (NYPL), the Audre Lord Papers (Spelman College), and the Shirley Hayes Papers (N-YHS). Primary Sources & Secondary Sources - Materials that contain direct evidence, first-hand testimony, or an eyewitness account of a topic or event under investigation are considered primary sources. They can be published or unpublished items in any format, from handwritten letters, to objects, to the built environment.


considered primary sources. They can be published or unpublished items in any format, from handwritten letters, to objects, to the built environment. considered primary sources. They can be published or unpublished items in any format, from handwritten letters, to objects, to the built environment. considered primary sources. They can be published or unpublished items in any format, from handwritten letters, to objects, to the built environment.Secondary sources are works that analyze and interpret other sources. They use primary sources to solve research problems. The way you engage with a source determines whether it is a primary or secondary source for your project. Book reviews, for example, are typically considered secondary sources.  If the subject of your research is book reviews themselves, however, they would be primary sources for your project. Provenance - A fundamental archival principle (also called respect des fonds ) that requires that materials be grouped into collections according to their source, not according to their subject. ( Sources: The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, c2008; Introduction to Archival Terminology , NARA; Theodore R. Schellenberg, Principles of Arrangement, Staff Information Paper Number 18 , Published by the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC, 1951. )


Elements of Finding Aids:


Elements of Finding Aids:Elements of Finding Aids:Finding Aids are detailed guides to the contents and arrangement of collections.  Finding aids, which may also be called collection guides, are written to give repositories intellectual and physical control over their holdings and to help researchers find what they are looking for within collections.  Finding aids can take many forms, whether digital or analog, and range in detail from a brief summary to an itemized list of contents, but most finding aids will fall somewhere in between. The level of detail and description depend on the resources of the repository and the collection itself.  Most comprehensive electronic finding aids will contain the following elements: Collection Overview / Descriptive Summary – The basic bibliographical details you would find in a library catalog record, including the repository, creator, title, date, abstract describing the subject matter of the material, quantity of materials, and call phrase (the "call number" assigned by the repository).


, date, abstract describing the subject matter of the material, quantity of materials, and call phrase (the "call number" assigned by the repository)., date, abstract describing the subject matter of the material, quantity of materials, and call phrase (the "call number" assigned by the repository)., date, abstract describing the subject matter of the material, quantity of materials, and call phrase (the "call number" assigned by the repository).Biographical / Historical Note – Information on the creator of the collection, including significant historical details that provide context for the archival materials. Scope and Content Note – A brief description of what’s contained in the collection, including the types of materials and the subject focus of the collection, with highlights sometimes mentioned. Arrangement / Organization – A list of the series into which the collection is organized, or a brief description of the organization of the materials, i.e., “arranged by type of material, then chronologically.” Access Points / Subjects / Key Terms – The subject headings, including names, organizations, topics, places, document types, family names, occupations, and other terms, under which the collection is indexed. Administrative Information – Provenance of the collection, access and use restrictions, copyright notices, preferred citation, related materials in the repository.


e Information – Provenance of the collection, access and use restrictions, copyright notices, preferred citation, related materials in the repository.e Information – Provenance of the collection, access and use restrictions, copyright notices, preferred citation, related materials in the repository.e Information – Provenance of the collection, access and use restrictions, copyright notices, preferred citation, related materials in the repository.Container List / Inventory – A list of boxes, folders, and volumes in the collection. You’ll need to know the box and folder numbers to request materials at the repository. Finding aids may also include: Series descriptions, a list of items separated from the collection, and notes on related collections in the repository.


Tips for Using Finding Aids:


Tips for Using Finding Aids:Tips for Using Finding Aids:Collections may be described in catalog records, website descriptions, NUCMC records, published collection guides, paper guides available in the repository, and/or Wikipedia entries in addition to or instead of traditional finding aids. Not all collections will have detailed finding aids, but when they do, spend time reading them thoroughly before diving in to a collection. A close look at a finding aid will tell you not only what is IN a collection, but what is NOT there, saving you time. Many manuscript and archival repositories have online catalogs or databases that allow searching across collection finding aids. Look for these and search them for sources on your topic.


ories have online catalogs or databases that allow searching across collection finding aids. Look for these and search them for sources on your topic.ories have online catalogs or databases that allow searching across collection finding aids. Look for these and search them for sources on your topic.ories have online catalogs or databases that allow searching across collection finding aids. Look for these and search them for sources on your topic.Access may be uneven within a library, with some collections being fully processed and described in electronic finding aids complete with links to digitized images, audio, or video from the collection, while other collections next to them on the shelf may be described only in paper finding aids.  Collection descriptions are continually evolving as resources permit. When viewing electronic finding aids, look for the "print view" or a link to "view as a single page" so you can do keyword searching within the document. Archivists research the subjects of the collections they process and frequently write detailed historical and biographical notes that contextualize the materials. You can learn a great deal by reading a comprehensive finding aid. A container list in a finding aid will tell you the type of material you’ll find in a box or folder, but it usually won’t give you the specific details of the items in that container.


will tell you the type of material you’ll find in a box or folder, but it usually won’t give you the specific details of the items in that container. will tell you the type of material you’ll find in a box or folder, but it usually won’t give you the specific details of the items in that container. will tell you the type of material you’ll find in a box or folder, but it usually won’t give you the specific details of the items in that container.A typical folder title might be “Correspondence, 1911-1914.”  When this is the case, the only way to find out who is writing to whom and what is being said is to request the box and open the folder to read the letters yourself. Not all collections have finding aids and not all finding aids are online. Visit a repository’s website to get an overview of the archival holdings and then contact the staff to find out if they might hold materials relevant to your topic.


tory’s website to get an overview of the archival holdings and then contact the staff to find out if they might hold materials relevant to your topic.tory’s website to get an overview of the archival holdings and then contact the staff to find out if they might hold materials relevant to your topic.tory’s website to get an overview of the archival holdings and then contact the staff to find out if they might hold materials relevant to your topic.As a way of dealing with backlogs of unprocessed collections, many archival repositories follow an arrangement and description methodology called MPLP, or " More Product, Less Process ," especially for large contemporary collections.  This trend in processing means that archivists spend less time arranging and describing materials in order to provide access to more materials sooner.  For researchers, this means they may have to spend more time looking through boxes of materials because collections may only be described in broad strokes in finding aids that mention just the most obvious contents and contain little research and scholarship.


ctions may only be described in broad strokes in finding aids that mention just the most obvious contents and contain little research and scholarship.ctions may only be described in broad strokes in finding aids that mention just the most obvious contents and contain little research and scholarship.ctions may only be described in broad strokes in finding aids that mention just the most obvious contents and contain little research and scholarship.You will likely come across broken links to electronic finding aids in your research using databases, websites, WorldCat, or other search tools.  When this happens, use what you know in a Google search to find the collection guide another way.  A search using the repository name and part of the collection creator's name will usually help you find a working link.  If that fails, go directly to the repository's website and either browse their list of collections or search across their site for the collection you are seeking.


Background research paves the way for productive archival research.  Use it to get an overview of your topic, to zero in on the details you need to find primary sources, to put archival materials in context, and to help you position your own argument within the scholarly conversation. Following are some suggestions and tips for finding background sources. ONESEARCH: A search in CUNY's OneSearch using keywords and subject terms central to your topic will turn up print and electronic books, scholarly articles, news articles, films, dissertations, government documents, and other primary, secondary, and reference sources.  After a broad initial search, you can sort the results by date, relevance, author or title, and filter results by resource type, topic/subject, date range, language, or source/collection (database).


esults by date, relevance, author or title, and filter results by resource type, topic/subject, date range, language, or source/collection (database).esults by date, relevance, author or title, and filter results by resource type, topic/subject, date range, language, or source/collection (database).esults by date, relevance, author or title, and filter results by resource type, topic/subject, date range, language, or source/collection (database).GC DATABASES: Our A-Z List of Databases includes over 400 resources.  You can search for particular databases by title, filter databases by type, or search across the list by keyword to find databases that cover your topic. RESEARCH GUIDES: Library research guides round up the major print and electronic resources in a given area and can quickly point you to reliable sources.  The GC's research guides cover a wide range of subjects and topics, from Anthropology to data management.  Use them to find reference sources and scholarly articles, and to identify the key databases in a subject area.  If we don't have a research guide for a topic you are studying, try a web search to find one at another library.  For example, if you wanted to find reliable sources on the history of South Asia and didn't know where to begin, a Google search formatted like this could help: "South Asia" LibGuides .


reliable sources on the history of South Asia and didn't know where to begin, a Google search formatted like this could help: "South Asia" LibGuides .reliable sources on the history of South Asia and didn't know where to begin, a Google search formatted like this could help: "South Asia" LibGuides .reliable sources on the history of South Asia and didn't know where to begin, a Google search formatted like this could help: "South Asia" LibGuides .(The term "LibGuides" refers to the platform many libraries use to publish research guides.)  Browse the guides to identify potential research avenues and then look for the resources here at the GC Library .  If we don't have something you need, you can usually request it via Interlibrary Loan . SECONDARY & REFERENCE SOURCES: Consult our Beyond Wikipedia: Background and Reference Sources guide for information on finding and using a wide range of secondary and reference sources in your research.  You'll find tips for finding biographical and genealogical sources, bibliographies, digitized texts, encyclopedias, book reviews, almanacs, and more. GOOGLE SCHOLAR: Google Scholar provides a simple way to search broadly for scholarly literature, including journal articles and books. The GC Library has created a GC-customized Google Scholar version that links you directly to articles in the library’s databases.


articles and books. The GC Library has created a GC-customized Google Scholar version that links you directly to articles in the library’s databases. articles and books. The GC Library has created a GC-customized Google Scholar version that links you directly to articles in the library’s databases. articles and books. The GC Library has created a GC-customized Google Scholar version that links you directly to articles in the library’s databases.When off campus, you’ll be prompted to log in before you can access library subscription resources. WORLDCAT: WorldCat Is a catalog and discovery system containing millions of records for print and electronic holdings in every format in thousands of libraries around the world. As with OneSearch, after a broad initial search you can use the available options to zero in on sources close to your topic. Use the links in WorldCat records to request items via Interlibrary Loan if they are not available at the GC. DISSERTATIONS: Look for dissertations on your topic.  Dissertations contain original research and can lead you to difficult-to-find primary sources that their authors have tracked down. And their bibliographies may help you identify useful scholarship and background sources as well. GOOGLE BOOKS: Try searching Google Books to find mentions of people, places, organizations, and events.  A search here is especially useful for gathering information on hard-to-find people.


s to find mentions of people, places, organizations, and events.  A search here is especially useful for gathering information on hard-to-find people.s to find mentions of people, places, organizations, and events.  A search here is especially useful for gathering information on hard-to-find people.s to find mentions of people, places, organizations, and events.  A search here is especially useful for gathering information on hard-to-find people.Your efforts may turn up details in a footnote or the text of a book that lead you to sources you may not have found otherwise.  Check OneSearch to find specific titles at the GC Library and request them via Interlibrary Loan if we don't have them.


may not have found otherwise.  Check OneSearch to find specific titles at the GC Library and request them via Interlibrary Loan if we don't have them.may not have found otherwise.  Check OneSearch to find specific titles at the GC Library and request them via Interlibrary Loan if we don't have them.may not have found otherwise.  Check OneSearch to find specific titles at the GC Library and request them via Interlibrary Loan if we don't have them.NEWSPAPERS: Historical newspapers are valuable primary sources that can help you get a sense of the time and place you are studying and see how a subject was viewed and understood in its time.  Newspapers can also fill in the record on people and topics that do not turn up in archival collections.  Be sure to explore alternative press sources as well.  You'll find coverage of new or progressive ideas in radical publications before it appears in the mainstream media.  And you may also find the voices of marginalized people and organizations more readily in community papers or newsletters, union publications, and alternative, underground, and independent media.  See our Newspapers Research Guide and NYPL's Conducting Genealogical Research Using Newspapers Guide for ideas.


, underground, and independent media.  See our Newspapers Research Guide and NYPL's Conducting Genealogical Research Using Newspapers Guide for ideas., underground, and independent media.  See our Newspapers Research Guide and NYPL's Conducting Genealogical Research Using Newspapers Guide for ideas., underground, and independent media.  See our Newspapers Research Guide and NYPL's Conducting Genealogical Research Using Newspapers Guide for ideas.SUBJECT HEADINGS: Search Library of Congress Authorities to identify subject terms for more effective searching in library catalogs and databases.  Also try a keyword search in OneSearch or WorldCat to find books on your topic.  Then, click on the subject headings in the catalog records of promising titles to find related works on the topic. RESEARCH TIPS Take a close look at the footnotes, bibliographies, and acknowledgements in reference and secondary sources.  They are gold mines for identifying primary sources and finding out which libraries or private collections hold them. Keep a running list of the names (people and organizations), dates, keywords, subjects, themes, events, and places that come up in your research.  These will be your access points for finding primary sources. Knowing key names will enable you to recognize relevant sources when you encounter them. Knowing key dates will enable you to navigate manuscript collections arranged in chronological order.


ognize relevant sources when you encounter them. Knowing key dates will enable you to navigate manuscript collections arranged in chronological order.ognize relevant sources when you encounter them. Knowing key dates will enable you to navigate manuscript collections arranged in chronological order.ognize relevant sources when you encounter them. Knowing key dates will enable you to navigate manuscript collections arranged in chronological order.Reference and secondary sources can help you decipher documents found in archives.  Letters in manuscript collections exchanged between people who knew each may mention other people, events, ideas, and opinions, but they probably won't define them.  Reference sources can come to the rescue. You can also use background sources to refine a topic and for help developing a research question.


Begin with background research to familiarize yourself with the key names, dates, themes, events, places, and organizations related to your topic.  And think about the kinds of sources you are hoping to find. Then search catalogs, databases , online portals , and published sources (books, articles, dissertations, etc.) to discover collections and to find out which repositories hold them.  You can also approach your research geographically, by identifying research libraries, local libraries, government archives, historical societies, and other repositories located in the vicinity of your research topic. Note that there are MANY places to look for archival materials and other primary sources.  Searching for printed archives will lead you to digitized materials and digital items will lead you to printed collections, so be flexible and creative when you search.


ted archives will lead you to digitized materials and digital items will lead you to printed collections, so be flexible and creative when you search.ted archives will lead you to digitized materials and digital items will lead you to printed collections, so be flexible and creative when you search.ted archives will lead you to digitized materials and digital items will lead you to printed collections, so be flexible and creative when you search.Once you know where collections are held or have decided to search repositories where your topic is centered, explore repository websites to discover archival collections and other materials using available search tools. Closely read archival finding aids and speak to library staff about your project.


Search Tools:  Catalogs & Databases:
Following are some of the major search tools that will help you find primary sources in multiple formats across repositories.  Also see the Finding Digitized Resources section for additional suggestions, including coverage of international resources. Try adding keywords such as sources, correspondence, diaries, interviews, personal narratives, etc. to your search to find primary sources. For the best results: Be flexible when you search; search multiple catalogs, databases, and portals; be persistent when you encounter outdated links; and remember that not all collections will have detailed finding aids or catalog records and may not show up in online searches.  Be sure to also thoroughly search at the repository level and speak with reference staff.


or catalog records and may not show up in online searches.  Be sure to also thoroughly search at the repository level and speak with reference staff.Archive Grid: Searchable database containing over 7 million records describing archival collections in 1,400 libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies around the world.  Also useful for identifying archival repositories by location. Read more in our GC Library blog post about ArchiveGrid .

Google: Put your subject's name or multi-word topic in quotes and add archival keywords to find collections.  For example, try a search like this: "A. Philip Randolph" AND (papers OR manuscripts OR archives OR collection) or this: "("civil rights" OR "civil liberties") AND (papers OR manuscripts OR archives OR collection) .  Google can be helpful for finding collections that may not turn up in searches of databases like WorldCat and ArchiveGrid.  And it can also help you find library research guides, bibliographies, and other reference tools that can streamline your research.


and ArchiveGrid.  And it can also help you find library research guides, bibliographies, and other reference tools that can streamline your research.WorldCat (FirstSearch): Holdings of thousands of American and international libraries. Make Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests with the Find it! button. Searchable in English, French, and Spanish.

WorldCat Discovery: WorldCat Discovery is a catalog and discovery system containing millions of records for print and electronic holdings in thousands of libraries around the world.

Additional Search Tools

Archive Finder (NYPL Database): This database is available at all New York Public Library locations and provides information and detailed indexing to manuscript collections from over 5,700 repositories in the U.S. and U.K., including NUCMC records created between 1959 and 1985 which are not available in WorldCat.  The database covers the entire collection of NUCMC from 1959 to the present.


cords created between 1959 and 1985 which are not available in WorldCat.  The database covers the entire collection of NUCMC from 1959 to the present.Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative: Search the finding aids for archival collections held in libraries, archives, and cultural heritage organizations across New York state.  Browse a list of repositories that contribute finding aids to the database.  Note that this is an ongoing initiative and not all repositories in NYS currently contribute to this database.

Government Archives: Government archives, whether national, state, or municipal, are often quite massive, holding millions of items.  They usually have their own search tools, so when you are looking for government records, you can usually go straight to the website of the agency to look there.  See the Government Archives section for tips and links.


r government records, you can usually go straight to the website of the agency to look there.  See the Government Archives section for tips and links.National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC): A gateway operated by the Library of Congress for searching 1.5 million catalog records describing archival and manuscript collections and individual manuscripts in public, college and university, and special libraries. Records for manuscript collections created since 1986 may be found in WorldCat or through searching NUCMC directly.  Records created from 1959 to 1985 are available in the print volumes of NUCMC, which are available at the New York Public Library and select CUNY locations, as well as in the database Archives Finder , which is available at select NYPL locations.  Digitized catalog and index volumes spanning 1963 to 1977 (with gaps) and the 2 volume Index to Personal Names in NUCMC, 1959-1984, are available in the Internet Archive .


index volumes spanning 1963 to 1977 (with gaps) and the 2 volume Index to Personal Names in NUCMC, 1959-1984, are available in the Internet Archive .SNAC (Social Networks and Archival Context): SNAC "is a free, online resource that helps users discover biographical and historical information about persons, families, and organizations that created or are documented in historical resources (primary source documents) and their connections to one another. Users can locate archival collections and related resources held at cultural heritage institutions around the world."

Digitized Sources: Also see the Finding Digitized Resources section of this guide for additional suggestions, including coverage of international resources. Digitized portals are efficient tools for identifying individual sources on a topic and can lead you to full analog and digital collections.


Repository-Level Searching:
Repository-level searching is an excellent way to to discover primary sources and an essential step in the research process.  When you find a collection that sounds promising for your topic, whether by searching a library catalog, database, digital portal, or Google, or whether you find it by following a footnote or bibliography entry, be sure to take the next step of thoroughly exploring the holdings of the repository. That's because when a library holds an archival collection on your topic, chances are very good that they will have additional primary and secondary sources in various formats relevant to your research.


ection on your topic, chances are very good that they will have additional primary and secondary sources in various formats relevant to your research.Steps for Repository-Level Searching: Visit the library's website to read about the collections as a whole and get practical information for visiting and accessing materials. Look for an A-Z list of archival collections or finding aids on the library's website and spend some time browsing through it.  Unlike keyword searching, which can only turn up what you are looking for, browsing opens up the possibility of discovering collections serendipitous ly. Search the library's finding aid database or archival portal if they have one. Check the website for a digitial portal and browse and search digitized collections. Search the library's regular catalog on your topic to find records for other primary and secondary sources on your topic. Look for research guides, reference tools, or topic guides to help you navigate holdings. And, most importantly, speak to the reference staff about your project. They can help streamline your research and point out helpful resources.


Research guides compiled by libraries with with notable resources in particular subject areas are a great way to discover analog and digitized primary sources and reference tools to help you use them.  We have dozens of subject-specific research guides at the GC , for instance, and many other libraries have them as well. If you are launching a research project in LGBTQIA+ studies and don't know where to begin, you could try this search in Google to find research guides compiled by libraries that hold materials on the topic: LGBTQ* AND (LibGuide OR research guide) .


ld try this search in Google to find research guides compiled by libraries that hold materials on the topic: LGBTQ* AND (LibGuide OR research guide) .ld try this search in Google to find research guides compiled by libraries that hold materials on the topic: LGBTQ* AND (LibGuide OR research guide) .ld try this search in Google to find research guides compiled by libraries that hold materials on the topic: LGBTQ* AND (LibGuide OR research guide) .(LibGuides is the platform many libraries use for their guides.) The search will turn up numerous guides, including the GC's own LGBTQ / Gender & Sexuality Studies guide , which contains links to archival and other resources.  Each library's guide will be different and will highlight the books, serials, archival collections, digitized materials, subscription databases, and open web resources  they are recommending to their researchers.  Just be aware that subscription resources linked from guides beyond the Grad Center will require local log in credentials.  Check the GC's A-Z list of databases to see if we subscribe to an electronic resource that interests you.  If not, try the NYPL's databases . You can also request books, articles, serials, microfilmed collections, and other resources via Interlibrary Loan if we do not hold them at the GC Library.


Tips for Finding Materials:


Tips for Finding Materials:Tips for Finding Materials:Background Research You don't have to know everything about your topic before you dive into primary sources, but having a basic sense of the people, organizations, places, themes, dates and events central to your topic will help you recognize potentially important archival collections when you encounter them.  See the Background Research tab in this guide and the separate Beyond Wikipedia research guide for tips and links to resources. Serendipity Browsing a library's list of collections online, exploring collections whose finding aids seem only tangentially-related to your topic, reading widely, and speaking to other researchers and library staff are all great ways to open up the chances of discovering relevant primary sources you weren't specifically looking for.  Serendipity can play a big role in discovering sources, so be sure to make time and space for it as you research your topic.


pecifically looking for.  Serendipity can play a big role in discovering sources, so be sure to make time and space for it as you research your topic.pecifically looking for.  Serendipity can play a big role in discovering sources, so be sure to make time and space for it as you research your topic.pecifically looking for.  Serendipity can play a big role in discovering sources, so be sure to make time and space for it as you research your topic.Analog & Digital Collections Printed archival collections will lead you to digitized items and digitized items will lead you to printed collections.  Be flexible and creative as you search to find sources in multiple formats. Searching Secondary Sources to Find Archival Materials Secondary and reference sources will not only help you put your topic in context, they will often lead you directly to archival collections.  Check the footnotes, bibliographies, and acknowledgments in books, dissertations, and other published sources for clues. You may learn about cataloged and uncataloged materials held in libraries and/or private collections. Published Guides to Manuscript Collections Published guides to manuscript collections can be easily overlooked in the quest to find archival materials.  However, these printed volumes, many of which were compiled in the pre-computer age, can be useful for identifying specific holdings and for getting a sense of a library's collections as a whole.


were compiled in the pre-computer age, can be useful for identifying specific holdings and for getting a sense of a library's collections as a whole. were compiled in the pre-computer age, can be useful for identifying specific holdings and for getting a sense of a library's collections as a whole. were compiled in the pre-computer age, can be useful for identifying specific holdings and for getting a sense of a library's collections as a whole.These guides typically contain summary descriptions of individual collections and indexes that allow you to identify holdings by subject or format. Though the descriptions in these printed volumes may well have been superseded by subsequent archival processing and electronic finding aids, they situate individual collections within a library's holdings and offer more collection level detail than you'd usually encounter in an A-Z list of holdings on a library's website.


ons within a library's holdings and offer more collection level detail than you'd usually encounter in an A-Z list of holdings on a library's website.ons within a library's holdings and offer more collection level detail than you'd usually encounter in an A-Z list of holdings on a library's website.ons within a library's holdings and offer more collection level detail than you'd usually encounter in an A-Z list of holdings on a library's website.Examples include: A Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the New-York Historical Society and the Guide to the Research Collections of the New York Public Library (also available in the Internet Archive .) Library Subject Headings Try a keyword search in CUNY's OneSearch or other library catalogs to find books on your topic.  Then, look at the subject headings used to describe those books and click on the most relevant terms to identify other library materials on the topic.  Keep track of the most useful subject headings and use them when searching archival databases as well. Reference Tools Repositories often have specialized indexes and reference tools that relate directly to their archival holdings.  When available, these can greatly streamline your research. Advice from the Princeton Guide to Library Research Some helpful advice from The Princeton Guide to Historical Research :  " Archival holdings are often needles in haystacks.


n Guide to Library Research Some helpful advice from The Princeton Guide to Historical Research :  " Archival holdings are often needles in haystacks.n Guide to Library Research Some helpful advice from The Princeton Guide to Historical Research :  " Archival holdings are often needles in haystacks.n Guide to Library Research Some helpful advice from The Princeton Guide to Historical Research :  " Archival holdings are often needles in haystacks.It is one thing to locate the papers of major participants in an event. But the letters of witnesses to that event, with vivid descriptions, may be scattered over many states. Databases of archives, such as WorldCat and ArchiveGrid, are helpful, but they cannot pick up every collection in every archive. Finding all the unpublished material relevant to a topic is therefore a research challenge in itself. Search every catalog you can find, and get help from a librarian or archivist. Read other scholars’ bibliographies. Identify prominent figures in your stories—politicians, activists, intellectuals—and see if they deposited papers somewhere. Eventually, as you become expert in a topic, you may get a sense of which individuals or institutions might have collected relevant material. " (p. 189) Schrag, Zachary M. “Archival Research.” In The Princeton Guide to Historical Research , 186–207. Princeton University Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1pdrrc9.12 .


Directories, Lists, National Digital Libraries, Regional Portals:
The online portals and archives listed here are a sampling of the resources that exist around the globe.

Directories & Lists

LibWeb - Libraries Around the World: Libraries from around the world arranged geographically.

National Archives Around the World: List from Wikipedia of national archives from around the world.

Gale Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers: International coverage.  Requires New York Public Library barcode and PIN to access.

National Digital Libraries & Regional Portals

African Online Digital Library: "AODL is an open access digital library of African cultural heritage materials created by Michigan State University in collaboration with museums, archives, scholars, and communities around the world."

Australia - National Archives: 100 years of Australian Government records, documenting the history of individuals, communities, and the nation.


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Australia - National Archives: 100 years of Australian Government records, documenting the history of individuals, communities, and the nation.Australia - Trove: Trove provides access to 14 billion digital items about Australia or of interest to the Australian community. Trove focuses on freely available digital content created by Australians and held in the collections of the National LIbrary of Australia and other Australian Libraries, Archives, Museums, Galleries, University, Research and community organisations. It contains books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and other materials.

Canada - Library & Archives: Includes publications, archival records, sound and audio-visual materials, photographs, artworks, and electronic documents of Canadian heritage.

Caribbean - Digital Library of the Caribbean: "The Digital Library of the Caribbean is a cooperative of partners within the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean that provides users with access to Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials held in archives, libraries, and private collections."


ibbean that provides users with access to Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials held in archives, libraries, and private collections."Early Caribbean Digital Archive: "[A]n open access collection of pre-twentieth-century Caribbean texts, maps, and images. Texts include travel narratives, novels, poetry, natural histories, and diaries that have not been brought together before as a single collection focused on the Caribbean. ... The materials in the archive are primarily authored and published by Europeans, but the ECDA aims to use digital tools to "remix" the archive and foreground the centrality and creativity of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean world."

CARIBICA: The Caribbean Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives.

East Asia Digital Archive: A partnership between the National Library of Korea and the National Diet Library of Japan, the East Asia Digital Library is a portal site that offers East Asia’s cultural and academic digital resources.


nd the National Diet Library of Japan, the East Asia Digital Library is a portal site that offers East Asia’s cultural and academic digital resources.Endangered Archives Programme - British Library: "The EAP facilitates the digitisation of archives around the world that are in danger of destruction, neglect or physical deterioration. ... Since 2004, the [EAP] has digitised over 12 million images and 35 thousand sound tracks. Archive types digitised ... include rare printed sources, manuscripts, visual materials, audio recordings."

Europe - Archives Portal Europe: Contains records for millions of archival items held in hundreds of repositories across Europe. Use search filters to find digitized items.

Europeana: Europeana enables people to explore the digital resources of Europes museums, libraries, archives and audio-visual collections.

France - Calames: Online catalog of archives and manuscripts in French university and research libraries.

India - Archival Repositories: List from Wikipedia.


Calames: Online catalog of archives and manuscripts in French university and research libraries.

India - Archival Repositories: List from Wikipedia.India - Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute: Consists of 215 original titles, including 58 manuscript catalogs. Accessible via the Internet Archive.

International Institute of Social History: Over 4,000 archives, more than 1 million printed volumes and audio-visual items, with a thematic emphasis on social and emancipatory movements.

LACLI: LACLI is a repository of free online resources for Latin American, Caribbean, Latinx, and Iberian studies, including digital primary source collections, demographic data, and ebook libraries.

Latin American & Caribbean Digital Primary Resources: "[A] database of listings that provide links to open access digitized collections of primary sources that relate to Latin America and the Caribbean."

Latin American Network Information Center: From UT Austin. Includes lists of resources by country and holdings of Latin American and Caribbean collections in the U.S.


etwork Information Center: From UT Austin. Includes lists of resources by country and holdings of Latin American and Caribbean collections in the U.S.Literature & Art - World-Wide Directory of Repositories: Online directory from the International Council on Archives.

Middle East & Islamic Studies - Digital Collections Guide: A subject guide from Cornell that includes listings of manuscript and archival repositories, both digital and analog, along with other resources in libraries around the world.

Digitalnz - Digital New Zealand: 30+ million digital items from 300+ collections.

The Palestinian Museum Digital Archive: Over 200 Years of Palestinian life portrayed through photographs, documents, letters, diaries, publications, and audio & video recordings.  Browse over 360,000 items by topic or collection or search across the digital archive by keyword.

Research Resources - SHAFR: Selected resources for historical research from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR).  Includes lists of archives and resources by region and subject.


rical research from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR).  Includes lists of archives and resources by region and subject.Russia - ArcheoBiblioBase: ArcheoBiblioBase (ABB) is an internet directory and bibliographic information system for archives in the Russian Federation.

South Asia Open Archives (SAOA): A rich and growing OA collection of key historical and contemporary sources from and about South Asia, in English and other languages of the region. Contains hundreds of thousands of pages of books, journals, newspapers, census data, magazines, and documents, with particular focus on social & economic history, literature, women & gender, and caste & social structure.

Digital South Asia Library: A program of the University of Chicago and the Research Libraries Group, the Digital South Asia Library provides digital materials for reference and research on South Asia to scholars, public officials, business leaders, and other users.

United Kingdom - Archives Hub: Search across descriptions of archives, including links to digital content, held at over 390 institutions across the UK.


nited Kingdom - Archives Hub: Search across descriptions of archives, including links to digital content, held at over 390 institutions across the UK.United Kingdom - Discovery: More than 32 million descriptions of records held by The National Archives of the UK and more than 2,500 archives cross the country.

World Wide Diplomatic Archives Index: From the US Dept. of State's Office of the Historian.


Digitized Collections - Global Highlights:
The collections and digital projects included here are meant to illustrate the remarkable depth and variety of resources available from around the world. These are just a sampling to highlight the research possibilities that exist in freely available resources on a nearly infinite range of topics.

The Danish West-Indies: Sources of History: "This is where you can search in about 5 million image files of records from the Danish West Indies across the databases of the Danish National Archives. The 5 million image files of digitally scanned records are made up of 15,000 series of images and contain 130,000 transcribed entries. "

Digital Dante: Digital Dante, a venue for research and ideas on Dante from Columbia University, includes sections on the Divine Comedy; Intertextual Dante, a digital tool for visualizing references; image and sound galleries; a History and chronology of Dante, and original textual research.


textual Dante, a digital tool for visualizing references; image and sound galleries; a History and chronology of Dante, and original textual research.Early Caribbean Digital Archive: "[A]n open access collection of pre-twentieth-century Caribbean texts, maps, and images. Texts include travel narratives, novels, poetry, natural histories, and diaries that have not been brought together before as a single collection focused on the Caribbean. Plantation slavery and settler colonialism are defining aspects of the early Caribbean—both sit at the origin of the modern capitalist world. The texts and images collected here tell the story of European imperial domination, and of the enslaved African and Indigenous American people whose lives, labor, and land shaped the culture and development of the Atlantic world. The materials in the archive are primarily authored and published by Europeans, but the ECDA aims to use digital tools to "remix" the archive and foreground the centrality and creativity of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean world."


x" the archive and foreground the centrality and creativity of enslaved and free African, Afro-creole, and Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean world."Guatemalan National Police Historical Archive: This site currently includes over 10 million scanned images of documents from the National Police Historical Archive. This digital archive mirrors and extends the physical archive that remains preserved in Guatemala as an important historical patrimony of the Guatemalan people.

IMIRCE  The Kerby A. Miller Collection of Irish Emigrant Letters and Memoirs from North America: "IMIRCE provides access to thousands of letters, memoirs and other documents composed by Irish emigrants to North America from the seventeenth through the mid-twentieth centuries."


usands of letters, memoirs and other documents composed by Irish emigrants to North America from the seventeenth through the mid-twentieth centuries."Manar al-Athar: The Manar al-Athar, an open-access photo-archive based at the University of Oxford, aims to provide high resolution, searchable images, freely-downloadable for teaching, research, heritage projects, and publication. It covers buildings and art in the areas of the former Roman empire which later came under Islamic rule (e.g. Syro-Palestine/the Levant, Arabia, Egypt, and North Africa), from ca. 300 BC to the present, but especially Roman, late antique, and early Islamic art, architecture, and sacred sites.

Medieval Murder Maps - London, York, and Oxford: Discover the murders, sudden deaths, sanctuary churches, and prisons of three thriving medieval cities.

Old Bailey Proceedings (London), 1674-1913: "A fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court."


est body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court."Shakespeare Documented: "An online exhibition documenting Shakespeare in his own time."

World Digital Library: The WDL made available primary materials from all countries and cultures. The collection was transferred to the Library of Congress in 2021 where it remains as a searchable resource showing the diversity of the world’s cultures through the contributions of hundreds of organizations.

Other Sources: Consult the websites of libraries and archival repositories to discover digital editions of library holdings.


Analog vs. Digital:
Before diving in to digitized sources, it is important to remember that although there are many millions of digitized primary sources accessible online, the vast majority of unpublished archival material that exists in libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies around the world has not been digitized and is not available online. The digitized sources at a given repository will usually represent just a fraction of their holdings on a topic.  Digitized sources are exceedingly convenient and readily accessible but there may be equally valuable resources for your project that are only available on paper in folders and boxes in repositories.


Finding Digitized Materials:
There are many places to search for digitized primary sources.  These include large-scale digital portals, the websites of research libraries, archives, and museums, the websites of regional and subject collaborations, government archives websites, international digital portals, library subscription databases, and on the open web. Individual digitized items can lead you back to the digital or analog collections that contain them and further back to the repositories where the collections are held, allowing you to contextualize the sources you find. One key point to note is that the digital facsimiles you discover may represent just a fraction of the existing material on your topic in a repository.


Library Databases:
Library suscription databases contain primary sources in a wide variety of formats including manuscripts and archives, historical newspapers and periodicals, laws, legislation, legal documents, pamphlets, broadsides, books, printed ephemera, letters, diaries, oral histories, audio, video, images, maps, speeches, interviews, government documents, data, underground comics, graphic novels, and more. In many cases, the databases were produced by digitizing previously existing microfilm. The original microfilm reels might be available to borrow via interlibrary loan if we do not have access to the subscription database at the GC.  Some microfilmed collections are also available in the Internet Archive.


ibrary loan if we do not have access to the subscription database at the GC.  Some microfilmed collections are also available in the Internet Archive.Primary Document Databases @ the GC: The Graduate Center Library subscribes to dozens of databases containing primary sources in a wide variety of formats. Highlights iclude the Archives of Latin American and Caribbean History, 16th to 20th Century; Ethnographic Video Online; and the Women's Studies Archive.  Find these databases and others by selecting the filters for Archival Collections , Primary Source Collections and/or Newspapers on our A-Z List.


ve.  Find these databases and others by selecting the filters for Archival Collections , Primary Source Collections and/or Newspapers on our A-Z List.The NYPL subscribes to a number of databases containing digitized archival collections from other institutions in addition to their own digitized holdings. Search for databases by Title or Keyword on the NYPL’s Articles & Databases page.  Highlights include ACLU American Civil Liberties Union Papers; African America, Communists, and the National Negro Congress; Archives of Sexuality and Gender; Fight for Racial Justice and the Civil Rights Congress; Indigenous Peoples: North America; the NAACP Papers; Testaments to the Holocaust; U.S. Relations with the Vatican and the Holocaust; Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture; and the Smithsonian Collections Online database World's Fairs and Expositions: Visions of Tomorrow.  Note that NYPL subscription resources require an NYPL library card and PIN for remote access and some NYPL databases are accessible on-site only.


Online Portals:
Online portals are among best ways to discover digital content.  And they can help you find analog materials as well.  These platforms make it possible to search in one place for primary sources related to a particular person, subject, region, or format that are scattered across multiple institutions. When search results turn up individual items, be sure to click on links to explore the full collections they belong to, and trace further back to the holding repository. Browse results by contributing institution, when possible, and visit the websites of those institutions to look for other materials on your topic.  Many archival repositories have tools that let you search across collections and also limit results to digitized materials.  Keep in mind that the digital items that turn up in online portals may represent just a fraction of the materials a library holds on a topic.


erials.  Keep in mind that the digital items that turn up in online portals may represent just a fraction of the materials a library holds on a topic.DPLA: Digital Public Library of America: Contains over 51 million images, texts, videos, and sounds from libraries, archives, and museums across the U.S.  Search or browse by topic or contributor, and explore primary source sets and online exhibitions.

Internet Archive: The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form with a mission to provide universal access to all knowledge. The archive contains tens of millions of books and texts, audio recordings, videos, images, and software programs, and 625 billion web pages.


owledge. The archive contains tens of millions of books and texts, audio recordings, videos, images, and software programs, and 625 billion web pages.Google: Add library keywords to your search to find digitized collections.  For example, try a search like this: "Civil Rights” AND (digital or digitized) AND (library OR collection OR archive OR manuscripts) .  Google can be helpful for finding collections that may not turn up in searches of databases like WorldCat and ArchiveGrid and may may turn up library research guides and other helpful reference tools that can streamline your research.

Smithsonian Open Access: Search over 4.9 million 2D and 3D open access digital items, including images and data from across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo. Filter search results by museum, topic, date range, resource type, place, or group.

Digital Library Directory: An online directory of 750+ digital library sources from around the globe. Outdated in spots, but useful for identifying repositories and collections to explore.


irectory of 750+ digital library sources from around the globe. Outdated in spots, but useful for identifying repositories and collections to explore.Library & Archival Exhibitions on the Web: A list of online exhibitions from libraries, archives, and historical societies maintained by the Smithsonian. Searchable by keyword, title, and  sponsoring institution. Great for finding leads to primary sources.


Subject-Based Portals & Collections:
Listed below are just a few of the extraordinary open access subject-based digital collections and collaborations available online. Find similar resources by visiting the websites of libraries that cover your subject area or trying a Google search formatted like the examples below. "indigenous peoples" AND (digital OR digitized) AND (library OR collection OR archive) physics AND (digital OR digitized) AND (library OR collection OR archive) anthropology AND (digital OR digitized) AND (library OR collection OR archive)

African American History - Umbra Search: Umbra Search for African American History brings together more than 800,000 digitized items from over 1,000 libraries and archives across the country.

Biodiversity Heritage Library: "[T]he world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. ... [F]ree access to hundreds of thousands of volumes, comprising over 58 million pages, from the 15th-21st centuries."


rsity literature and archives. ... [F]ree access to hundreds of thousands of volumes, comprising over 58 million pages, from the 15th-21st centuries."Black Women's Suffrage - DPLA: "[A] collaborative project to provide digital access to materials documenting the roles and experiences of Black Women in the Women’s Suffrage Movement and, more broadly, women’s rights, voting rights, and civic activism between the 1850s and 1960.  ...  [Includes] photographs, correspondence, speeches, event programs, publications, oral histories, and other artifacts."

Civil Rights Digital Library: "[T]he most ambitious and comprehensive initiative to date to deliver educational content on the Civil Rights Movement via the Web" through: a Digital Video Archive of 30 hours of historical film coverage, a Civil Rights Portal drawing on the holdings of libraries across the nation, and Instructional Materials.


ve of 30 hours of historical film coverage, a Civil Rights Portal drawing on the holdings of libraries across the nation, and Instructional Materials.Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative: "By making the form and content of cuneiform texts available online, the CDLI is opening pathways to the rich historical tradition of the ancient Middle East. In close collaboration with researchers, museums and an engaged public, the project seeks to unharness the extraordinary content of these earliest witnesses to our shared world heritage."

Digital Scriptorium: "[A] growing consortium of American libraries and museums committed to free online access to their collections of pre-modern manuscripts."

Digital Transgender Archive: The purpose of the DTA "is to increase the accessibility of transgender history by providing an online hub for digitized historical materials, born-digital materials, and information on archival holdings throughout the world."

Medical Heritage Library: "[A] digital curation collaborative among some of the world’s leading medical libraries, promotes free and open access to quality historical resources in medicine."


uration collaborative among some of the world’s leading medical libraries, promotes free and open access to quality historical resources in medicine."Native Northeast Portal: The Native Northeast Portal "represents a scholarly critical edition of New England Native American primary source materials gathered ...  from ... partner institutions into one robust virtual collection, where the items are digitized, transcribed, annotated, and edited to the highest academic standards and then made freely available over the Internet, using open-source software."

New Netherland Institute: Exploring America's Dutch Heritage: Digitized versions of translations and transcriptions of documents relating to New Netherland. Written in an archaic hand, these seventeenth-century documents were damaged by fire and water, but they are our best source of knowledge about the former Dutch colony.

North America Manuscripts - Worlds of Change at Harvard Library: "A collection of more than 700,000 digitized pages of all known archival and manuscript materials in the Harvard Library that relate to 17th- and 18th-century North America."


Digital Libraries / Regional Portals / Digitized Collections:
The following research libraries have notable digital collections. This list is just a sampling of the remarkable resources you can find online. Be aware that in most every case, the digitized items available represent only a small fraction of a library's holdings. To find digitized primary sources for your own research project, visit the websites of libraries that collect materials in your subject area.  And be sure search across collections when possible.  You may also be able to limit results to digitized materials if the option is available.

American Museum of Natural History - Anthropology: "Over 250,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects representing the peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Pacific Islands have been digitally imaged and are accessible online."


objects representing the peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Pacific Islands have been digitally imaged and are accessible online."American Museum of Natural History - Virtual Library: Includes Digital Special Collections, Digitized Scientific Manuscripts, Field Notes, scientific publications from the museum's 150 year history, including The Anthropological Papers , Novitates , and The Bulletin

Archives of American Art: "The Archives of American Art is the world’s preeminent and most widely used research center dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary sources that document the history of the visual arts in America."

Bodleian Library - Digital Bodleian: Over a million images of rare books, manuscripts, and other treasures from the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford college libraries.


ry - Digital Bodleian: Over a million images of rare books, manuscripts, and other treasures from the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford college libraries.Centro - Center for Puerto Rican Studies - Hunter College: "Centro is a research institute that is dedicated to the study and interpretation of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States and that produces and disseminates relevant interdisciplinary research. Centro also collects, preserves, and provides access to library resources documenting Puerto Rican history and culture. We seek to link scholarship to social action and policy debates and to contribute to the betterment of our community and enrichment of Puerto Rican studies."

CUNY Digital History Archive: "[A]n open, digital public archive and portal that gives the CUNY community and the broader public online access to a range of materials related to the history of the City University of New York (CUNY). "

Harvard Digital Collections: "[F]ree free, public access to over 6 million objects digitized from our collections - from ancient art to modern manuscripts and audio visual materials."


ree free, public access to over 6 million objects digitized from our collections - from ancient art to modern manuscripts and audio visual materials."John Carter Brown Library: High resolution images from the library's archive of early American images, maps, and political cartoons are available through the JCB's Luna database and scans of over 15,000 full books are available via the Internet Archive.

The Library Company of Philadelphia: Digitized manuscripts, photographs, art, music, and other sources relating to U.S. history.

Library of Congress Digital Collections: "The collection of more than 168 million items includes more than 39 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 72 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings."  Among these holdings are 395 digitized collections.

Library of Congress Collections with Manuscripts: Digitized manuscript collections covering a broad range of subjects.


are 395 digitized collections.

Library of Congress Collections with Manuscripts: Digitized manuscript collections covering a broad range of subjects.Metropolitan Museum of Art - Watson Library Digital: Rare materials digitized from the collections, including treatises on art and architecture, early travel books, archaeological studies, rare collection catalogs, early trade catalogs, artists’ manuals and handbooks, complete runs of seminal journals, fencing books, scrapbooks, fine bindings, and examples of fine printing.

National Library of Medicine Digital Collections: "[A] free online repository of biomedical resources including books, manuscripts, still images, videos, and maps. The content in Digital Collections is freely available worldwide and, unless otherwise indicated, in the public domain. Digital Collections provides unique access to NLM's rich historical resources, as well as select modern resources."


e indicated, in the public domain. Digital Collections provides unique access to NLM's rich historical resources, as well as select modern resources."National Museum of Natural History - Anthropology Dept.: "Research in the Department of Anthropology spans from the emergence of our earliest ancestors to the ways communities sustain their cultures in today’s globalized societies.  The collections ... are a vast and unparalleled resource for inquiry into the cultures, arts, and technologies of the world's peoples, from deep in prehistory to the present day."

New-York Historical Society Digital Collections: "The New-York Historical Society’s growing digital library now includes thousands of photographs of New York City, Revolutionary Era maps, manuscripts, and broadsides, Civil War materials, manuscripts relating to slavery and African American history, and numerous other historical resources from the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library as well as highlights from several Museum collections."


can history, and numerous other historical resources from the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library as well as highlights from several Museum collections."New York Public Library Archives & Manuscript Division: The Division holds over 31,000 linear feet of manuscripts and archives in over 5,700 collections. More than 560,000 items have been digitized.

New York Public Library Digital Collections: Currently contains more than 900,000 images.  "This site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more."

Ransom Center Digital Collections: Digital "collections represent just a sample of the Ransom Center's diverse holdings in literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts."

Schomburg Center, NYPL - Digital Schomburg: Amazing resource containing "exhibitions, books, articles, photographs, prints, audio and video streams, and selected external links for research in the history and cultures of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora."


nts, audio and video streams, and selected external links for research in the history and cultures of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora."Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives: Access over 26 million descriptions of personal papers, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, films, works of art and organizational records.

Smithsonian Libraries - Digital Library: Includes books, drawings, photos, indexes to vertical files of artists, trade catalogs, and ephemera, as well as fascinating digital exhibitions covering a wide range of topics; and an index of all the physical exhibitions that the Smithsonian Libraries has produced over the years.

Tulane University Digital Library: "[R]are and unique collections in areas such as Latin American studies, jazz, New Orleans and Louisiana history and architecture..."


Digital Library: "[R]are and unique collections in areas such as Latin American studies, jazz, New Orleans and Louisiana history and architecture..."UCLA Library Digital Collections: "The UCLA Digital Library Program (DLP) serves as the catalyst for the creation, management, and delivery of digital content in support of the UCLA Library mission and goals. The Program provides for the storage and dissemination of digital objects, including text, images, audio, and video in their various digital manifestations and combinations."

University of Michigan - Clement's Library: Archival collections, images, and public domain books.

Wisconsin Historical Society: "The Society's world-class collections contain an extraordinary range of artifacts and information about American history, from the remote archaeological past to current events."

Yale University Digital Collections: The Beinecke Library has digitized more than a million images of collection material, but these represent only a fraction of total collections material on-site.


ke Library has digitized more than a million images of collection material, but these represent only a fraction of total collections material on-site.The collections and digital humanities projects included here are meant to illustrate the remarkable depth and variety of resources available freely available online. These are just a sampling to highlight the research possibilities that exist in freely available resources on a nearly infinite range of topics.

American Prison Writing Archive: "The American Prison Writing Archive evolved from a book project completed in 2014 with the publication of Fourth City: Essays from the Prison in America , the largest collection to date of non-fiction writing by currently incarcerated Americans writing about their experience inside."

BAM Archives - Brooklyn Academy of Music: "The BAM Hamm Archives tell the story of the 150+ year history of BAM, and of the communities—civic and artistic—that built the institution."


f Music: "The BAM Hamm Archives tell the story of the 150+ year history of BAM, and of the communities—civic and artistic—that built the institution."Criminal Trial Transcripts of NY County Collection (1883-1927): "Selected transcripts from the Lloyd Sealy Library's Trial Transcripts of the County of New York (1883-1927) collection. ... Consists of the verbatim typewritten proceedings of 3,326 court cases, held in various courts of New York County, which included Manhattan and the Bronx until 1914. Not all trial transcripts have been digitized."

CUNY Digital History Archive: "[A]n open, digital public archive and portal that gives the CUNY community and the broader public online access to a range of materials related to the history of the City University of New York (CUNY). "

The Danish West-Indies: Sources of History: "This is where you can search in about 5 million image files of records from the Danish West Indies across the databases of the Danish National Archives. The 5 million image files of digitally scanned records are made up of 15,000 series of images and contain 130,000 transcribed entries. "


nal Archives. The 5 million image files of digitally scanned records are made up of 15,000 series of images and contain 130,000 transcribed entries. "Digital Dante: Digital Dante, a venue for research and ideas on Dante from Columbia University, includes sections on the Divine Comedy; Intertextual Dante, a digital tool for visualizing references; image and sound galleries; a History and chronology of Dante, and original textual research.

Digital Paxton: A Digital Archive and Critical Edition of the Paxton Pamphlet War: "[I]nclude[s] primary source materials [on the 1763 massacre in colonial Pennsylvania] from ... 18 different archives, research libraries, and cultural institutions; a dozen contextual essays from leading historians and literary scholars; and educational materials from secondary and post-secondary educators."

Digital Thoreau: Digital Thoreau provides tools to illuminate Thoreau’s creative process and facilitate thoughtful conversation about his words and ideas.