Skip to page content

Worldwide (English) Change
ArchiveGrid : Overview

Overview

ArchiveGrid is a new service developed by RLG that provides access to detailed archival collection descriptions. ArchiveGrid is an important destination for searching for historical documents, personal papers and family histories held in archives throughout the world. Researchers can learn about the contents of these collections, contact archives to arrange a visit to examine materials or order copies—all from one simple intuitive search.

ArchiveGrid helps researchers do their work faster and in a more cost-effective manner. Archived historical information from various locales around the world is now available using a powerful search engine.

ArchiveGrid includes nearly a million descriptions of archival collections held by thousands of libraries, museums, historical societies and archives worldwide. With its online archival collection descriptions, it helps you to discover primary source information and their locations more quickly than ever before.

Students, faculty, librarians, genealogists, scholars, researchers and authors can all make use of ArchiveGrid. Anyone seeking historical collections from Amsterdam to Toronto, Cairo to Sydney, San Francisco to London, now has a trusted tool.

ArchiveGrid’s powerful search engine and userfriendly interface brings you results that include the title of the collection, holding institution, brief description and a link to an extended description. Add to that a database of repository information that makes it easy for you to contact individual archives about materials of interest.

RLG and OCLC have long been supportive of the unique needs of the archive community as evidenced by the thousands of institutions we have partnered with over the years. In 1998, RLG introduced Archival Resources to give unified access to archival collection descriptions of all kinds. ArchiveGrid is the next step upwards—offering unparalleled access to an ever-expanding amount of archival content.

Subject strengths

Subject strengths include:

  • History
  • Humanities
  • Art & Architecture
  • Social Sciences
  • Genealogy

Contributors always welcome


If you are interested in contributing to ArchiveGrid, it’s free and easy, and you can help to expose your collection descriptions to researchers worldwide. Just go to http://archivegrid.org/contribute

For more detailed information and to get started with ArchiveGrid see http://archivegrid.org