United States Archives and Libraries: Difference between revisions

:*A National Archives (NARA) descriptive pamphlet (DP) provides helpful information about a microfilm set such as an explanation about the records on the film set, their origin, and a roll-by-roll descriptive list. Reviewing a DP prior to using a film set can increase a researcher's ability to use it successfully in a time-efficient manner.  The Special Collections of the [http://www.slcl.org/branches/hq/sc/dps/dplist.htm St. Louis County Library ]has placed on their web site full-text or PDF versions of DPs for some of the NARA microfilm sets.

Regional branches of the National Archives collect records of federal government offices and courts within the area they serve. These branches are located in or near [[National Archives Pacific Alaska Region (Anchorage)|Anchorage]], [[National Archives Southeast Region (Atlanta)|Atlanta]], [[National Archives Northeast Region (Boston)|Boston]], [[National Archives Great Lakes Region (Chicago)|Chicago]], [[National Archives Rocky Mountain Region (Denver)|Denver]], [[National Archives Southwest Region (Ft. Worth)|Fort Worth]], [http://www.archives.gov/central-plains/kansas-city/index.html Kansas City], [http://www.archives.gov/pacific/riverside/ Los Angeles], [http://www.archives.gov/northeast/nyc/index.html New York] (moving soon), [[National Archives Mid Atlantic Region (Philadelphia)|Philadelphia]], [http://www.archives.gov/pacific/san-francisco/index.html San Francisco], and [http://www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska/seattle/index.html Seattle].  

The [http://dp.la/ Digital Public Library of America] provides a one stop access to the best of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. See also [[Digital Public Library of America]]  

P.O. Box 2270<br>Fort Wayne, IN 48801<br>Telephone: 219-424-7241<br>Fax: 219-422-9688<br>Internet address: [http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/index.html Allen County Public Library]  

60 West Walton Street <br>Chicago, IL 60610-3394<br>(312) 943-9090<br>(312) 255-3513&nbsp; fax<br><br>The [http://www.newberry.org/ Newberry Library] was established in 1887 with a bequest from the estate of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Loomis_Newberry Walter Loomis Newberry].&nbsp; A privately endowed independent research library, their collections are free and open to the public.&nbsp; The library's [http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/guides.html Genealogy Collection] includes more than 17,000 published family histories, and an extensive collection of local histories, military records, published indexes and abstracts, manuscripts and published sources.  

=== Pritzker Military Museum &amp; Library<br>  ===

Internet: [http://www.pritzkermilitary.org pritzkermilitary.org]  

The [http://pritzkermilitary.org Pritzker Military Museum &amp; Library] was established in 2003 by Colonel J.N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired), who had assembled a major collection of books and related materials on military history, with a particular focus on the concept of the Citizen Soldier in America.&nbsp; A private museum &amp; research library, the galleries and collections are accessible to the public for a $5 daily admission and are free to PMML members.&nbsp; The Museum &amp; Library has over 45,000 books on military history including numerous unit histories with rosters and cruise books (similar to high school yearbooks) with lots of photographs.&nbsp; Additionally, the reference collection includes guides to uniforms, equipment, insignia, and ships for many of the world's militaries.&nbsp; The librarians enjoy working with genealogists and genealogists should see the [http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/explore/library/genealogy-research Library's Genealogy Research webpage] before visiting.<br>  

=== Other major United States libraries with genealogical collections  ===

:*A directory of many repositories and manuscript collections is:<br>The National Historical Publications and Records Commission. ''Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States''. Second Edition. Phoenix, Arizona: Oryx Press, 1988. (FHL {{FHL|643768|title-id|disp=973 J54u}} 1988; 1978 Edition on fiche {{FHL|11301|title-id|disp=6010080-89}}.) <!--{12054106989060} -->

Most large universities have a special collections division of their university library. Some of these repositories have extensive collections of local and state historical documents, including many individual record collections. Carefully search the university library catalog for references to the individuals you are researching. Access to the special collections may be very restricted, so check with the library about any restrictions before visiting.  

=== <center>Archives and Libraries in each State</center>  ===

=== County and Town Courthouses  ===

:*Schaefer, Christina K. ''The Center: Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Capital Area''. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1996. (FHL {{FHL|770597|title-id|disp=975.3 A3sc}}) ([http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=ti%3AThe+Center%3A+Guide+to+Genealogical+Research+in+the+National+Capital+Area Worldcat]) This describes the records and services of the National Archives, Library of Congress, Daughters of the American Revolution Library, and other repositories in the Washington, DC area.