Professor & Reference and Instruction Librarian Coordinator
St. Mary's University
One Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228-8608
USA
dduesterhoeft@stmarytx.edu
National Archives (NARA)
The National Archives & Records Administration (NARA), or Archives.gov, is the major archives website for government information—interpreted broadly so as to include material such as military and older Census records.
- National Archives CatalogLocate records, and limited digitized materials, from the National Archives. Search and then choose "Available Online" to find digitized materials.
- NARA: Access to Archival DatabasesOnline access to records in a small selection of historic databases preserved permanently by the National Archives.
- NARA: Guide to Federal RecordsDescribes the collections held by the National Archives in Washington, and at its related facilities through out the country.
- NARA: Research by Topicbrowse records by broad subject areas such as military, people, places, government records, art and culture, technology, historical events
- NARA: Research our RecordsAccess to research collections, tips on doing archival research, and information for in-person visits to National Archive facilities
- Yale Library: US National Archives & Records AdministrationTips for visiting NARA, from Yale University Library.
Note: some of the following reference guides were published some time ago. They are still valuable resources for older collections of archives but be aware that they will not refer to newer material or to newer methods of access. Also, NARA publications dated prior to 1986 are classified GS 4.; after that date, AE 2.
- The Emerging Nation : a documentary history of the foreign relations of the United States under the Articles of Confederation, 1780-1789. AE 1.114/3:N 21. 1996.
- Guide to the Records of the U.S. Senate at the National Archives. Y 1.1/2:13853. 1989.
- Guide to the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives at the National Archives. Y 1.1/2:13886. 1989. Describe committee and general records, divided into pre- and post-1968 archives. Useful addition material includes: an introductory chapter on research methodology, a glossary of terms, bibliography and detailed index.
The Library has other publications from the National Archives of interest to researchers, especially items in these series:
- General Information Leaflets AE 1.113: . Pamphlets with general information on the Archives and their collections. For example, "Visitor's Guide: The National Archives Experience" AE 1.113:18/2010.
- Reference Information Papers (AE 1.124:). More substantial research guides dealing with particular collections or subjects, such as "Records Relating to Personal Participation in World War II" AE 2.124:80,82.
Library of Congress (LC)
The Library of Congress Digital Collections portal provides access to organized collections of digitized material from the agency and other institutions.
The variety of materials available is astounding: papers and official documents from political figures, Indian tribal music, maps, various collections of pamphlets, many collections of films, photographs, and audio files, manuscripts from authors and poets, and much more.
- Library of Congress (LOC)Main page of the Library of Congress. Includes links to the LOC library catalog, digital collections, US Copyright Office, their law library, etc.
- Library of Congress Digital Collections: Search"A gateway to the Library of Congress’s vast resources of digitized American historical materials." This portal includes the content from the old American Memory site and additional digital sources. LOC.