How to search our collections
On this page:
What you can search
You can search for descriptions of:
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Government and private documents, files, and correspondence
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Books, publications, and pamphlets
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Photos, art, sound recordings, and moving images
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Maps and architectural plans
Learn more about:
Keyword search
These are the words you enter to search for material in our collections.
Tips and techniques
In the search box, before you start, you can:
- Add an asterisk (*): add an asterisk (*) to the end of a word to get results that include variations of that word. For example, entering "farm*" will return results that include "farm", "farmers", and "farming".
While choosing keywords, you should consider:
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The types of material that would capture the information you are looking for
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How those materials would be described
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Who would have created or accumulated the materials
Filters and sorting
Filters
These are the ways you can narrow down your search results. Select them on the results page after you start your search.
Filter by:
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Database: This will narrow down your search by the collection it is from (archives, art, or library).
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Formats: This will show you the format of the results (for example, maps, photographs, documents) and give you the option to filter by format.
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Subject: This will show the various categories your search results fall under for our art and library materials.
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Date: Reflects each result’s date or date range.
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Digital Media Present: This will show you what materials you can access fully online.
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Creator/Maker/Author: Shows the person who contributed the items to the archives, created an artwork, or authored a text.
Sorting
On the results page after you start your search, you can sort results by title or date.
Browsing search
You can browse a list of creators to view a description of the creator and links to the material they created.
Creators can include:
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Private individuals
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Artists