Primary Sources: Local, State, National, and International Archives

Dedicated to preserving the history of our institution and the surrounding communities, the mission of the archives is to identify, acquire, manage, and preserve records of enduring value and make them available for public use.

Dedicated to preserving the political, foreign policy, and military history of the Cold War Era at home and abroad, the extensive collections are of both regional and national interest.

With items spanning seven centuries, four continents and topics local to international, the Baylor University Digital Collections are among the most unique in the world.

Members of the Bell County Historical Commission assist elected officials of the Bell County Commissioners Court and the Texas Historical Commission to preserve our historic and cultural resources.

The Bell County Museum is the source for Bell County history, archaeology, culture, and interactive activities. Visit the museum to learn about life on the Chisholm Trail, explore life 16,000 years ago in the Gault Site exhibit, or enjoy one of their constantly rotating traveling exhibits.

The Mayborn Museum Complex features a natural science and cultural history museum focusing on Central Texas with walk-in dioramas including one on the Waco Mammoth Site, and exploration stations for geology, paleontology, archaeology, and natural history. In addition to the natural history exhibits, there are two floors of themed discovery rooms which encourage hands-on learning for all ages and a historic village located on the banks of the Brazos River.

The museum preserves the history and inspires appreciation of the Texas Rangers.

As the local history division of the Austin Public Library System, the mission of the Center is to gather, preserve, and present materials relating to the history of the city of Austin and Travis County.

Part of the University of Texas at Austin, the Briscoe Center is one of the nation's leading centers for historical research and hold's one of the largest collections of Texas State history materials in the country.

Located at The University of Texas at Austin, the Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research center. Their collections include nearly 1 million books, more than 42 million manuscripts, 5 million photographs, and 100,000 works of art. Among their holdings are original works by Frida Kahlo, including her iconic self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird; some of Albert Einstein's unpublished notes and calculations for his work on general relativity; Gabriel García Márquez's manuscripts, correspondence, notebooks, and more (digitized for easy perusal); and one of only 20 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the world.

Southwestern's holdings include a sizable collection of materials on Texas history and local history of the city of Georgetown and Williamson County.

Located on the historic town square in Georgetown, TX, the museum was established to preserve and exhibit materials related to the history of Williamson County.

Presidential Libraries and Museums promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

An online portal created and maintained by The University of North Texas in Denton, featuring the materials and collections of hundreds of content partners and institutions across the state of Texas.

Located in Austin, the THC Library holdings are divided into four main areas: museum studies, archeology, state and local history, and historic preservation and architecture. Two of the library's most significant resources include the agency's historical marker files, which number about 15,500, and a file collection of the state's more than 3,100 National Register sites.

The official repository of all permanently valuable official records of the Texas government and other historically significant collections.

A list of official State Archives provided by the National Archives and Records Administration. Each link provides information on current services and online research availability.

National Archives of France.

The National Archives of New Zealand.

National archives of Mexico and the central consultative entity of the Federal Executive.

National archives of Spain, located in Madrid.

The national archives of Germany.

dLOC is a cooperative of Partners within the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean that provides users with access to Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials held in archives, libraries, and private collections.

Though the site is no longer maintained, it still provides valuable links to archives and special collections relating to South America.

National Archives of Canada.

The Library of Congress (LOC) is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. The LOC also provides access to an extensive number of Digital Collections, including collections of images and art available for open source use and reuse.

National archives of the Netherlands.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever. The three most important documents held by the archives are the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

A non-ministerial department, and the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales.

The custodian of the records of enduring value of the Government of India. Established on 11 March 1891 at Calcutta (Kolkata) as the Imperial Records Department, the National Archives of India is the custodian of the records of enduring value. It is the biggest archival repository in South Asia.

The Independent Administrative Institution National Archives of Japan preserve Japanese government documents and historical records and make them available to the public.

Sister institution to Archives New Zealand.

National archives of Sweden.

The State Archive of the Russian Federation (GA RF) was established by order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 28, 1992 No. 809 and is the successor of the Central State Archive of the October Revolution, the highest bodies of state power and government bodies of the USSR (TsGAOR USSR) and the Central State Archive of the RSFSR (TsGA RSFSR) . The largest federal archive of the country, which stores about 7 million files on the history of Russia in the 19th-21st centuries. It is completed with documents of the highest bodies of state power and administration of the Russian Federation.

Archive for China's State Council.

Under the Ministry of Culture, the National Library of France collects, preserves, and communicates the national heritage of France.

Links to archives, special collections, and other special projects from a multitude of European countries from Albania to Vatican City.

The Hanover Historical Texts Collection makes available digital versions of historical texts for use in history and humanities courses. Though geared towards educators developing history curriculums, this database may still prove useful for researchers. Provide items such as ancient Greek letters and text with English translations.

Gallica is the digital library of the National Library of France and its partners.