Archives & Libraries

The California State Archives Web site has a wealth of material on local and state history in their collections, as well as a wonderful set of links to other organizations, plus tips on selecting and working with Archival consultants:

• California Audiovisual Project
• California Death Index (1940 to 1997) 
• California Digital Newspaper Collection
• California Genealogical Society
• California Historical Society
• California Military Museum
• California State Library

More Local, State and National Resources:

• National Archives and Records Administration
• History San José has a collection of documents, photographs and ephemera on local History, plus the Neighborhoods of San José Project online. 
• The Library of Congress has online collections illustrating Santa Clara Valley history, as well as Silicon Valley history. 
• The National Endowment for the Humanities has a selection of online articles on Northern California from their reports and publications. 
• The Oakland Museum of California has a large collection of materials and images online, as well as "Picture This," a collection of primary source images from the history of California. 
• The Online Archive of California contains primary resource collections from more than 200 institutions who contribute to this collaborative archive on California history. 
• Silicon Valley History Online is a project of the Silicon Valley Local History Network (SVLHN) and offers histories of the Agricuilture, Education, People, Technology, Transportation, and Urban Life of this region. 
• The Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History at San Jose State University has a large collection of photographs and historical ephemera on the history of Santa Clara County, as well as a staff of trained historians to assist visitors.

University and College Archives are wonderful sources of information on local history. Here are some with large collections on Silicon Valley regional history:

• Bancroft Library Archives
• California History Center at De Anza College
• Pacific Film Archive
• San Jose State University Archives
• Santa Clara University Archives
• Stanford University Archives and the Hoover Institution Archives

Visiting an archival instution:

• Working with Archival Consultants

Use of images and Records:

Local author, librarian and attorney Mary Minow has excellent resources online concerning Library Law, Copyright, and Privacy. Visit her Web site: Library Law Blog, read her book, The Library's Legal Answer Book, or see the site she edits, Copyright and Fair Use: Stanford University Libraries, for guidelines on use of archival materials, online images, and copyright restrictions. 

---Catherine Alexander Bright, SiliconValleyLibrarian.org