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  Locating Libraries and Archives in the U.S.A

• All Types of Libraries

One of the best internet sources is LibWeb. You can also try LibCat..

• Archives and Repositories

Archives USA. Archives USA contains an up-to-date directory of archives. To access by name or place of archives, choose "Repository Search" Other good sites are Archival and Manuscript Repositories in the U.S. maintained by the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC), Repositories of Primary Sources and Archives and Manuscript Collections on the Internet.

• Historical Society Libraries

Historical Societies on the Internet Also see Historical Societies. Another source which includes state historical society libraries is State Archives and Libraries.

• Government Record Offices, Federal, State, and Local

For federal documents, see National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) home page. Links to all NARA research tools, activities, and services. NARA also maintains a searchable database called NAIL. See also NARA Center for Electronic Records. For state and local documents see Vital Records Offices which provides links to both the Vital Records Office and the Historical Society for each county and tells dates and types of records available.

Catalogs, Indexes, and Finding Aids

Archives USA is derived from the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (for more detailed information on this, click on "more options" below). It can be searched by keyword or name of person to locate particular papers, or manuscripts in a collection. See also Archival Finder's Aids to Documents Not Online.

Electronic Texts of Manuscripts, Papers, and Records 

Libraries, Archives, Document Collections, Documentary Editing. This site is a gateway to a variety of manuscript sources. See also Sunsite Digital Collections . For federal records in electronic form, see NARA Electronic Records For medieval manuscripts in electronic form see Medieval Manuscripts on the Web, Medieval Studies, Text, Image and Archival Databases, and Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies .

World and Foreign Repositories

One of the most respected sites is Repositories of Primary Sources, providing links to over 3,100 websites in countries of the world. See also Libraries on the Web and Archives and Manuscript Collections on the Web, Overseas Archival Repositories on the Internet (which often gives sites with online finding aids), and the UNESCO site Archives in the World.

More information

Additional print resources for Libraries, Archives, Manuscripts, Papers and Records.