Lesson Overview

Tips for Searching the Collections
There are multiple ways to search the collections. The Learning Page is a great place to start. You might want to read and practice "Finding Items in American Memory" and learn how to narrow your search idea. Learn to work with keywords and work within a specific collection of resources. Here are a few helpful hints to get you started:

1. Search the collections by type and read the search tips chart
   
2. Use the search tips list
   
3. Use Pathfinders
   Each collection has its unique set of keywords, find the list within each collection by selecting a theme using Pathfinders.
4. Read the introduction page to each collection. Within each collection browse index of authors, subjects, and titles,use the Learn More About It feature on the Learning Page for related topics
5. Read Citing Electronic Resources and for Copyright and other Restrictions information.

 

				Photographer General Category Search all photographic collections, click here: Photographs, Prints, and Drawings Specific Collections: Architecture and Interior Design ~ Gottscho and Schleisner ~ Photographs ~ 1935-1955 Title: Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America: Photographs by Samuel Gottscho and William Schleisner , 1935-1955 Baseball and Jackie Robinson ~ Multiformat ~ 1860-1969 Title: By Popular Demand: Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights, 1860s-1960s   Daguerreotype Photographs ~ 1839-1864 Title: America's First Look into the Camera: Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1862   Depression Era to World War II ~ FSA/OWI ~ Photographs ~ 1935-1945 Title: America from the Great Depression to World War II: Photographs from the FSA and OWI, ca. 1935-1945   Great Plains ~ Photographs ~ 1880-1920 Title: The Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920: Photographs from the Fred Hultstrand and F.A. Pazandak Photograph Collections Native American Culture, Pacific Northwest ~ Multiformat Title: American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Panoramic Photographs ~ 1851-1991 Title: Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991     Prairie Settlement, Nebraska ~ Photographs and Letters ~ 1862-1912 Title: Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters, Ranching Culture, Nevada ~ Multiformat ~ 1945-1982 Title: Buckaroos in Paradise: Ranching Culture in Northern Nevada, 1945-1982 Turn-of-the-Century America ~ Detroit Publishing Company ~ Photographs ~ 1880-1920 Title: Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880 - 1920 Washington, D.C. ~ Theodor Horydczak ~ Photographs ~ 1923-1959 Title: Washington as It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959 Western U.S. ~ Photographs ~ 1860-1920 Title: History of the American West, 1860-1920: Photographs from the Collection of the Denver Public Library Woman Suffrage ~ Photographs and Prints ~ 1850-1920 Title: By Popular Demand: "Votes for Women" Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920
				Lawyer General Category Search all textual collections, click here: Manuscript and Broadside Collections/Books and Pamphlets Specific Collections: Broadsides and Printed Ephemera ~ ca. 1600-2000 Title: An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera   Manuscript Division ~ Selected Highlights Title: Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years   U.S. Congress ~ Documents ~ 1774-1873 Title: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873   Woman Suffrage ~ Books and Pamphlets ~ 1848-1921 Title: Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921
				Poet General Category Search all textual collections, click here: Manuscript and Broadside Collections/Books and Pamphlets Specific Collections: California, First-Person Narratives ~ Books ~ 1849-1900 Title: "California as I Saw It": First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900   Folk Music, Dust Bowl ~ Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin ~ Multiformat ~ 1940-1941 Title: Voices from the Dust Bowl: the Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection, 1940-1941   Hispanic Music, Rio Grande ~ Juan Bautista Rael ~ Multiformat ~ 1940s Title: Hispano Music & Culture from the Northern Rio Grande: The Juan B. Rael Collection Life Histories, Federal Writers' Project ~ Manuscripts ~ 1936-1940 Title: American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936 - 1940 Upper Midwest ~ Books ~ ca. 1820-1910 Title: Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910 Whitman, Walt ~ Notebooks ~ 1850s Title: Poet at Work: Recovered Notebooks from the Thomas Biggs Harned Walt Whitman Collection
				Politician General Category Search all textual collections, click here: Manuscript and Broadside Collections/Books and Pamphlets Specific Collections: Arendt, Hannah ~ Papers ~ 1898-1977 Title: The Hannah Arendt Papers at the Library of Congress   Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention ~ Documents ~ 1774-1789 Title: Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789   Manuscript Division ~ Selected Highlights Title: Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years   U.S. Congress ~ Documents ~ 1774-1873 Title: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873   Washington, George ~ Papers ~ 1741-1799 Title: George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799 World War I and 1920 Election ~ Recordings Title: American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election
				Producer General Category Search early Motion Pictures, click here: Early Motion Pictures, 1897-1916 Specific Collections: Coca-Cola Advertising ~ Films ~ 1951-1999 Title: Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Television Advertisements: Highlights from the Motion Picture Archives at the Library of Congress   Factories, Westinghouse ~ Films ~ 1904 Title: Inside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904     Film, Animated ~ 1900-1921 Title: Origins of American Animation McKinley, William, and Pan-American Exposition ~ Films ~ 1901 Title: The Last Days of a President: Films of McKinley and the Pan-American Exposition, 1901 New York City ~ Films ~ 1898-1906 Title: The Life of a City: Early Films of New York, 1898-1906       San Francisco and 1906 Earthquake ~ Films ~ 1897-1916 Title: Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897-1916       Work and Leisure ~ Films ~ 1894-1915 Title: America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from 1894-1915
				Comedian No General Category Specific Collections: Federal Theatre Project ~ Multiformat ~ 1935-1939 Title: The New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939     Life Histories, Federal Writers' Project ~ Manuscripts ~ 1936-1940 Title: American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936 - 1940   Upper Midwest ~ Books ~ ca. 1820-1910 Title: Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910       Variety Stage ~ Multiformat ~ 1870-1920 Title: The American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920
				Musician General Category Search sound recordings, click here: Sound Recordings at the Library of Congress Specific Collections: African-American Music, Southern U.S. ~ Recordings ~ 1938-1943 Title: "Now What a Time": Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943     Bernstein, Leonard ~ Multiformat ~ ca. 1920-1989 Title: The Leonard Bernstein Collection, ca. 1920-1989     Civil War Era ~ Band Music ~ Multiformat Title: Band Music from the Civil War Era     Copland, Aaron ~ Multiformat ~ 1900-1990 Title: The Aaron Copland Collection, ca. 1900-1990     Folk Fiddle Music, Southern Appalachian ~ Henry Reed ~ Multiformat ~ 1966-1967 Title: Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier: The Henry Reed Collection     Folk Music, California ~ Sidney Robertson Cowell ~ Multiformat ~ 1930s Title: California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties. Collected by Sidney Robertson Cowell     Folk Music, Dust Bowl ~ Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin ~ Multiformat ~ 1940-1941 Title: Voices from the Dust Bowl: the Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection, 1940-1941   Jazz ~ William P. Gottlieb ~ Photographs ~ 1938-1948 Title: William P. Gottlieb: Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz Sheet Music ~ 1850-1920 Title: Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920   Sheet Music ~ 1870-1885 Title: Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, 1870-1885 Song Sheets ~ ca. 1800-1880 Title: America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets
				Newspaper Reporter General Category Search all textual collections, click here: Manuscript and Broadside Collections/Books and Pamphlets Specific Collections: Alexander Graham ~ Papers ~ 1862-1939 Title: Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress   California, First-Person Narratives ~ Books ~ 1849-1900 Title: "California as I Saw It": First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900   Broadsides and Printed Ephemera ~ ca. 1600-2000 Title: An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera   Life Histories, Federal Writers' Project ~ Manuscripts ~ 1936-1940 Title: American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936 - 1940 Nineteenth-Century Books ~ 1850-1877 Title: The Nineteenth Century in Print: Books   Nineteenth-Century Periodicals ~ 1850-1877 Title: The Nineteenth Century in Print: Periodicals Posters, WPA ~ 1936-1943 Title: By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943 Upper Midwest ~ Books ~ ca. 1820-1910 Title: Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910