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HOW TO LOCATE ARCHIVAL AND MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS
For resources located on the University of Maryland campus:
- Check ArchivesUM for abstract descriptions and complete finding aids to archival and manuscript collections on campus.
- Check the online catalog--use a name/ author headings, name/author browse, or keyword search to find collections about particular persons, organizations, or topics
- Click on "Special Collections" on the Libraries' Web page: http://www.lib.umd.edu.
This page links you to the individual sites for the Special Collections on campus. There are many different and interesting collections here at your fingertips.
- Visit the reading rooms for the special collections on campus. Often all the information available about primary source materials has not been mounted on the Web, and you may be able to consult resource guides or finding aids for individual collections and meet with the curators. So a visit to the Maryland Room, the Performing Arts Library, the National Public Broadcasting Archives, or the Broadcast Pioneers Library of American Broadcasting can be very helpful in planning your project.
For Resources located outside the University of Maryland, some commonly useful sites are:
- Archives USA: http://archives.chadwyck.com
- Library of Congress: http://lcweb.loc.gov
- Maryland Historical Society: http://www.mdhs.org
- Maryland State Archives: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us
- National Archives-Archival Research Catalog (ARC): http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/index.html
- American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library: http://www.aip.org/history/nblbro.htm
Many corporations maintain their own archives. The Business Archives section of the Society of American Archivists maintains an online directory of corporate archives in the United States and Canada, which also includes information on the archives of professional associations. Entries include the name and address of the archives and the primary staff contact person; descriptions of the archives' holdings, hours of service and conditions of access; and a brief outline of the type of business in which the corporation is engaged. The URL for this directory is http://www.hunterinformation.com/corporat.htm
Some local historical societies or historic sites have also begun to mount information about their collections, facilities, libraries, or activities on the Web. Some examples close to campus are:
- Prince George's County Historical Society: http://www.pghistory.org
- Montgomery County Historical Society: http://www.montgomeryhistory.org
- Riversdale (home of Charles Benedict Calvert, the founder of the University of Maryland): http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/riversdale_intro.html
- Surratt House: http://www.surratt.org
