Find Primary Sources Online to Support Your Research
As you do research for History Day, remember that a lot of great resources are available online. Check out our (growing) list of ways you can access the online collections of New York City archives, museums, and libraries.
- Brooklyn Public Library Digital Collections
- Center for Brooklyn History: online maps | oral histories | digital collections | online projects
- Central Park Conservancy Research Guide
- Did you know we have a national park right here in NYC? Check out Gateway National Park and learn about the history and ecology of some of the city's most beautiful places.
- Green-Wood Cemetery's online archives and digital collections
- Museum of the City of New York Digital Collections
- New York City Municipal Archives Collections
- New York Heritage Digital Collections
- New York Public Library Digital Collections
- New York Historical Society Digital Collections
- New York Transit Museum Digital Collections
- Queens Public Library Digital Collections
- Municipal Art Society: explore books and archival documents about the complex ecology of cities, urban culture, and the natural and built environment.
- New York University Special Collections: explore this special list of collections with digitized content.
- Library of Congress
- National Archives Digital Resources
- Chronicling America Digitized Newspapers
- Independent Voices: a digital collection of alternative press newspapers
- Digital Public Library of America
- National Park Service: National History Day Research Guide
- ArchiveGrid: a search tool for archives around the United States that contain historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more
- Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Resources
- Digital History, a resource from the University of Houston
- Harvard Digital Collections. For more specific American History collections such as "Slavery, Abolition, Emancipation, and Freedom" click here
- African Online Digital Archive
- Library of Congress International Research Pages
- Europeana (European Digital Archive)
- Harvard Digital Collections. For more specific Global History collections such as "Expeditions and Discoveries" click here
- Hope College Collated Resources on Modern Imperialism
- LACLI (Latin American, Caribbean, U.S. Latinx, and Iberian Online Free E-Resources)
- Wilson Center Digital Archive
- ACT UP Oral History Project
- Digital Transgender Archive
- GLBT Historical Society Digital Collections
- Lesbian Herstory Archives
- Library of Congress LGBTQ+ Digital Archive
- Queens LGBTQ+ History Collection: These are interviews with LGBTQ+ activists who live, work and attend school in Queens. They have organized major events like the Queens Pride Parade and founded advocacy organizations that provide services in and beyond New York City.
- Berkeley Library: Asian American and Asian Diaspora Digital Archives and Oral History Collections
- Densho Digital Archives: Japanese American History
- Library of Congress Asian American and Pacific Islander Resource Database
- SAADA: South Asian American Digital Archive
- BlackPast
- Civil Rights Digital Library
- Digital Black History Collated Resources
- Freedom on the Move Digital Collections
- International African American Museum Digital Collections
- National Archives Black History Directory
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library) Digital Collections
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Digital Archives
- Berkeley Library: Native American Studies Digital Collections
- Library of Congress Native American Digital Collections
- Native Northeast Portal
- University of Texas Native American Digital Collections
- Bracero Oral History Archive
- Berkeley Library: Latin American and Hispanic History Digital Collections
- LACLI (Latin American, Caribbean, U.S. Latinx, and Iberian Online Free E-Resources)
- ARTSTOR: An open access database of over 2 million images from top museums, archives, scholars, and artists
- The Black Music History Library
- Brooklyn Academy of Music Online Archive
- The Cleveland Museum of Art Digital Collections
- Digital Library of the Middle East
- Library of Congress Performing Arts Digital Collection
- Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collections
- The Morgan Library & Museum Digital Collections
- New York Public Library Music Division Digital Collections
- OMuERRA: Online Museum Educational Resources in Asian Art
- Alan Turing Digital Archive
- American Museum of Natural History Digital Collections
- Harvard Library: Exploration and Scientific Discovery in the Modern Age
- Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum Digital Collection
- Explore these resources from the Library of Congress: Science and Technology Digital Collections, Women in Science Digital Collections, Mapping National Parks
- National Library of Medicine Digital Collections
- Science History Institute: Women and Science Digital Collections
- Did you know we have a national park right here in NYC? Check out Gateway National Park and learn about the history and ecology of some of the city's most beautiful places.
- Jackie Robinson Museum: Get started with your research on Jackie Robinson’s impact on and off the field on the Dig Deeper page at JRLegacy.org. You’ll find videos to spark research ideas about Robinson as an athlete and activist, ready-to-use primary sources, FAQs, and more, plus submit questions to Jackie Robinson Museum staff.
- Library of Congress: Sports and Recreation Digital Collections
Check out Examples of Past Projects in Each Category
- Shirley Chisholm: Championing Domestic Workers through Debate and Diplomacy by Joanna Fabian, Lorenzo Guaman, Maria Manouselakis, Cecilia McConnaughy, and Ariana Mendez, New York City, Junior Division
- Little Rock: A Frontier of the Global Cold War by Lawson Wright, New York City, Senior Division
- The Camera as a Sword: Asian American Representation in Corky Lee's Photography by William Ling-Regan, New York City, Senior Division
- Women Strike for Peace: How 1960s American Mothers Used Diplomacy to End Atmospheric Nuclear Testing
- Building a Home from Diaspora: Making and Remaking the First American Chinatown by Yan Zhen Zhu, New York City, Senior Division
- Route 66: The Road of Possibilities by Jack Anderson, Jader Briggs, Daytona Foley, Logan Smith & Megan Swancutt
- Black, White and Blue: Vivien Thomas and the Cure for Blue Baby Syndrome by Jasmine Hughley
New York City History Day is sponsored in part by the Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust and the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund.
Upcoming Events
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
History Presentation: The Battle of Brooklyn, Prior To, During and After the Revolutionary War.
Brooklyn Borough Historian Emertius, Ron Schweiger, will be giving a presentation titled The Battle of Brooklyn, Prior To, During and After the Revolutionary War."
It includes what it was like when the British and Hessians took over all of Kings County, especially the Village of Flatbush…
Roots Across the Water: Reclaim. Research. Restore.
Join Panelists Dr. Gabrielle Hutchins and Kristian Balgobin to explore Caribbean ancestry as an act of cultural preservation, identity building, and intergenerational empowerment. Participants will learn how to research Caribbean family history, preserve ancestral narratives, and document lineage.…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
In celebration of Independence Day, join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered. Please note: on Saturday, June 27th, we are offering both a morning tour (11am) and an afternoon tour (2pm) of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
In celebration of Independence Day, join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered. Please note: on Saturday, June 27th, we are offering both a morning tour (11am) and an afternoon tour (2pm) of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and…
CBH Talk | An Unfinished Revolution: Dialogues on Freedom and Democracy with Khalil Gibran Muhammad
Marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, join us to reflect, reckon, and reimagine the ideals at the heart of the American experiment.
Across three evenings, CBH invites distinguished historians to select short readings as starting points for guided public…
African American History: America 250
Dr. Myeshia Babers will will trace how African Americans helped shape the nation from its founding — building churches, schools, and free communities, including here on Brooklyn’s own ground.
From there, we will move into a discussion: given the issues facing our communities today,…
CBH Talk | Building Access: The History and Future of Disability Rights
The disability rights movement has transformed American life and expanded access, opportunity, and civil rights for millions of people. These hard-won gains are the result of decades of organizing, advocacy, and political struggle. And the fight for equality continues.
As we celebrate July…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
The City That Raised US: Stories & Reflections of New York City
Join filmmaker Ashley Cervantes del Carmen for the first session of a two-part storytelling and collage workshop series celebrating the experiences of Native New Yorkers and immigrant communities.
Together, participants will reflect on what it was like to grow up…
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