Primary Sources

This collection Includes images related to the history of Albany, from the late 1800s to 2001. Notable aspects of the collection include images of homes and buildings (including school buildings, the public library, and the Peralta Park Hotel), street scenes, significant individuals, and historic events.

The Ancestry Library Edition collection has approximately 4,000 databases including key collections such as U.S. Federal Census images and indexes from 1790 to 1930; the Map Center containing more than 1,000 historical maps; biographical index, DAR information, Social Security Index and a strong Civil War collection.

The Architectural Digest Archive is an extensive collection of the famed international design magazine from 1922 through 2011, presented in a comprehensive cover-to-cover format. Published monthly by Condé Nast, the magazine has enjoyed a longstanding reputation as the definitive source for architects and interior designers as well as for everyday design enthusiasts. Each issue features beautiful photography and information on architecture and interior design, art and antiques, travel destinations, and extraordinary products.

The Atlantic Magazine Archive contains indexing, abstracting, and full text for the complete archive (including covers and advertisements) of this leading monthly magazine beginning in November 1857 and ending April 2014.

A database of world, continent, country, and state maps. Included in the 4,000+ maps are: political maps, physical maps, outline maps, population maps, precipitation maps, climate maps, and other thematic maps.

California Indie-Authors, Indie Author Project Select, and local content.

Covering a wide range of topics—including Literature, Philosophy, History, Geography, and Science—HistoryLab is BiblioBoard’s chief historical database. HistoryLab contains 400 Anthologies with over 14,000 full-text eBooks and over 24,000 pieces of primary source content. BiblioBoard Core Anthologies cover a range of topics from Abraham Lincoln and the Alamo to ballet, baking, chocolate, Mozart, Jack London, and Victorian Fashion.

This website, focused on Black Freedom, features select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history. its intention is to support a wide range of students, as well as independent researchers and anyone interested in learning more about the foundation of ongoing racial injustice in the U.S. – and the fights against it. 

The Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection is 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. From the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

The Bloomberg Businessweek Archive contains indexing, abstracting, and full text for the complete archive of Businessweek, beginning with its first issue in 1929 and ending in December 2000.

Calisphere is the University of California’s free public gateway to a world of digitized primary sources. Easy to use! Calisphere contains more than 150,000 photographs, documents, and works of art.

Ebony is one of the key African-American magazines of the 20th century, covering 20th and 21st-Century current events, art, design, politics and culture, literature, advertising, and more. Their editorial philosophy is to “showcase the best and brightest as well as highlighting the disparities in Black life in the United States and worldwide”. The Ebony Magazine Archive contains indexing, abstracting, and full text for the complete archive (including Covers and Advertisements) beginning in November 1945 to June 2014.

The Esquire Magazine Archive consists of cover to cover processing dating back to issue number one in October 1933 through March 2014 of the American popular men's magazine Esquire, published by Hearst Communications.

With its curated full-text materials, Ethnic Diversity Source is essential to support the study of African Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Jewish Americans, Latinx Americans, Multiracial Americans, and Native Americans, among others, with respect to their cultures, traditions, social treatment, and lived experiences. Scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, historical documents, and biographies are complemented by primary sources, such as speeches and interviews. Complete with robust collections of videos and e-books, Ethnic Diversity Source creates a dynamic research experience for students and researchers.

The Forbes Magazine Archive contains indexing, abstracting, and full text for the complete archive of Forbes, beginning with its first issue in 1917 and ending in December 2000.

The Fortune Magazine Archive consists of cover to cover processing dating back to issue number one in 1930 of the American business magazine Fortune, published by Time Inc.

Formerly known as Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale eBooks offers encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Includes reference eBooks, literature resources, and more.

Gale Primary Sources takes users beyond a simple search, allowing them to analyze content using frequency and term-relationship tools. Through intuitive subject-indexing users will discover new material even in the most familiar of content sets.

Searches: 

Gale Primary Sources: Archives of Sexuality & Gender
Gale Primary Sources: Archives Unbound

A unique fully-searchable collection that brings together approximately 1.5 million pages of primary sources on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world. Contains LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Parts I & II.

Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars and students.

Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.

Take advantage of all the Library of Congress offers - from home! Digital Collections features thousands of items in hundreds of subject areas.

The Life Magazine Archive consists of cover to cover processing dating back to issue number one in 1936 of the American variety magazine Life, published by Time Inc.

The Maclean's Magazine Archive contains indexing, abstracting, and full text for the complete archive of this influential Canadian magazine beginning in 1905 and ending in 2015.

MyHeritage is the place for discovering, sharing, and preserving family history.  It contains records from World Vital Records. 

NOTE: The MyHeritage app is not compatible with the library's subscription at this time.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.

Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, or are researching a historical topic that interests you

This link is for users who are outside the library. You'll need to enter your library card number and PIN before claiming your 72-hour All Access Pass. You'll have full access to News, Games (Wordle, Crossword, and more), Cooking, and more.

For in-library access (no library card number or PIN required), check out New York Times Online - Inside the Library.

For more information, take a look at our New York Times FAQ.

This link is for use inside the library. You don't need a library card number to claim your 72-hour pass when you are using Library Wi-Fi or computers. You'll have full access to News, Games (Wordle, Crossword, and more), Cooking, and more.

For offsite/remote access, check out New York Times Online - At Home and On The Move. You will need to enter a library card number and PIN to claim your pass when you are outside the library.

For more information, take a look at our New York Times FAQ.

With an extensive list of publications from around the globe, NewspaperArchive.com includes billions of newspaper articles dating back to 1607 and extends to the present day. Immerse yourself in rich historical content, as every newspaper within this archive is fully searchable by keyword and date. Whether you're exploring major cities or discovering the hidden stories of small towns, NewspaperArchive.com offers an unparalleled experience for everyone. 

The Sports Illustrated Magazine Archive consists of cover to cover processing dating back to issue number one in 1954 of the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated, published by Time Inc.

The Time Magazine Archive consists of cover to cover processing dating back to issue number one in 1923 of the American popular magazine Time, published by Time Inc.

The U. S. News & World Report Magazine Archive (1926-1984) database consists of the influential news magazine U. S. News & World Report (1948-1984) -- plus the predecessor titles: United States Daily (1926-1933), United States News (1933-1948), and World Report (1946-1948). Each title features cover to cover processing, which renders all of the content from the front cover to the back cover fully searchable, including the advertisements.

The Vanity Fair Magazine Archive contains indexing, abstracting and full text for the complete archive (including Covers and Advertisements) beginning in September 1913 to February 1936 and March 1983 to October 2015.