History & Archives

Subcategories

• Archives (11)
• Maps (2)

Sites in this branch

• British Pathé free
  Historic footage indexed well enough that you can search history by mood, event, or image. Visit site
• Chronicling America free
  Historic newspapers made searchable enough to support real research instead of token browsing. Visit site
• Europeana free
  A large cultural archive that remains worth using because it lets the underlying objects stay visible. Visit site
• Internet Archive free
  An indispensable public memory machine whose usefulness only grows as more of the web becomes brittle. Visit site
• Library of Congress free
  A giant public institution site that actually rewards serious searching with scans, records, and durable metadata. Visit site
• National Archives free
  Public records are only useful if you can find them; this site generally respects that fact. Visit site
• NYPL Digital Collections free
  A strong digital collection site with enough metadata and image quality to support actual work. Visit site
• Smithsonian Magazine free
  A general-interest publication with enough archival and science depth to justify a place in rotation. Visit site
• Smithsonian Open Access freenoaccountnew
  A gift to anyone who needs public-domain cultural material without legal fog or scavenger-hunt UX. Visit site
• The Public Domain Review freenew
  A beautifully edited portal into old, strange, and surprisingly relevant material from the public domain. Visit site
• Trove free
  Australia’s national-library search portal is a model of how broad cultural collections should feel online. Visit site
• David Rumsey Map Collection free
  Historic maps presented with the care and zoom depth that make long attention worthwhile. Visit site
• Old Maps Online free
  A terrific gateway into dispersed historic map collections, especially when you know the place before the period. Visit site