Guides
Archival Databases & Sites
Register of Australian Archives & Manuscripts
The Register of Australian Archives and Manuscripts (RAAM) is a guide to collections of personal papers and non-governmental organisational records held by Australian libraries and archives. RAAM is the successor to the Guide to collections of manuscripts relating to Australia which was published by the National Library of Australia from 1965 to 1995.
Australian Historic Records Register
A database describing archival material of historical significance held in private ownership in Australia. The AHRR contains descriptions of over 3,500 collections of private papers and records of business and community organisations. New records have not been added to the database since 1988.
Directory of Archives in Australia
Several hundred institutions and organisations in Australia are responsible for the custody and management of archives and manuscript collections. They range in size from the National Archives of Australia to very small collections kept by schools, churches and local museums. The Directory produced by the Australian Society of Archivists (1998 edition) provides basic information about these archival repositories, including addresses, phone numbers and summaries of their collecting policies and collections. There are also links to archival Websites, as well as selected guides and finding aids.
Guide to Australian Literary Manuscripts
This database consists of electronic guides or finding aids for more than eighty collections of personal papers of Australian authors and records of literary organisations held by Australian archival repositories.
Archives of Australia Network
This site, edited by the National Archives of Australia, is a collaboration between the National Archives of Australia, the State and Territory archives, and a number of other archival organisations. The site provides summary information about archival organisations around Australia and links to their websites, as well as a list of international links.
National Archives of Australia
The National Archives of Australia (formerly the Australian Archives)
is responsible for the management, disposal, preservation and storage of
Commonwealth records and for facilitating access to them by the public. It also
has custody of official and personal papers of a large number of former
Commonwealth Ministers and officials. These Commonwealth records are stored in
the ACT, as well as in State and Territory repositories and the Australian War
Memorial. The Record Search database is the National Archives collection database and describes holdings of
series and record items as well as details of creators and depositors'.
National Register of Archives (UK)
Established in 1945 within the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, the National Register of Archives is responsible for collecting, indexing and disseminating information about non-governmental archives in Britain. At the heart of the Register are more than 43,000 unpublished lists and catalogues of major manuscript collections and approximately 150,000 further lists of miscellaneous and minor collections. The lists range in length from a single page to several thousand pages and describe great family and estate archives, the papers of political figures, colonial governors, scientists and many other individuals, and the records of businesses and other organisations.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (USA)
This site, operated by the Library of Congress, offers free access to the United States national database of manuscript holdings through its integral cataloguing program. On the basis of cataloguing data supplied by eligible repositories to the NUCMC program, NUCMC cataloguers create MARC (Machine Readable Cataloguing) bibliographic records in the RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) database. The cataloguers also devise pertinent name and subject authority headings to generate indexes. Starting at the NUCMC site, researchers in the USA and world-wide may use the NUCMC Z39.50 Gateway to search the RLIN AMC file. Three types of search forms facilitate access to the various indexes.
RLG's Archival Resource Index
A subscription service of the United States Research Libraries Group to make the world's scholarly resources hidden in archives more visible.
MALVINE: Manuscripts and Letters via Integrated Networks in Europe
An online search service for post-medieval manuscripts hosted by the Berlin State Library and maintained by a European consortium of libraries, archives, and museums.
Australian Museums and Galleries On-Line
AMOL is a collaborative project between Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and the museums sector. Over 1,000 museums and galleries, some of which include paper-based material in their collections, are listed in AMOLs National Directory of Museums. In addition, AMOL offers a searchable collection database covering 51 collections, or over 350,000 items.
Repositories of Primary Sources - (Terry Abraham, University of Idaho)
A listing of over 5250 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research scholar.
