Subject and Course Guides: Researcher's Guide to Special Collections and University Archives: Archival Research Tools

Chicago Urban League Photos Collection

Image with Eartha Kitt (1953)

ArchivesGrid
ArchiveGrid includes over four million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
Black Metropolis Research Consortium
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) is a group of libraries, museums and other archival institutions committed to the collection, preservation, and research value of the historical and political lives of African Americans and African diasporic culture, with a specific focus on the Chicago area.
Explore Chicago Collections
Explore Chicago brings the holdings of many Chicago-area institutions together into one searchable database.

WorldCat (FirstSearch platform)
WorldCat contains information from libraries around the world. When searching for primary sources in WorldCat, consider limiting your search to Archival Materials. Limits can be set in the Advanced Search and Expert Search tabs.
The world's most comprehensive bibliography, with more than 49 million bibliographic records representing 400 languages. Covers information from 2100 B.C. to the present. Includes holdings information from libraries across the world. Now includes the Library of Congress Subject Headings as its thesaurus. Includes records produced by Connextion users.