WVU Libraries

The West Virginia and Regional History Center is pleased to announce that the finding aids (collection descriptions) of our Archives and Manuscript collections are now searchable through ArchiveGrid!

ArchiveGrid is a database containing nearly two million archival material descriptions, representing archival collections held by roughly one thousand libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives.  Freely available, it is a great resource for researchers interested in personal papers, family histories, historical documents, or other archival materials.  Though focused on collection descriptions from U.S. institutions, ArchiveGrid has a growing number of contributing institutions from other countries.  Researchers can use ArchiveGrid to search for a specific term or character string across institutions; the list of search results contains links to pertinent collections’ finding aids or catalog records.

ArchiveGrid actively harvests the finding aids in the WVRHC’s Guide to Archives and Manuscripts and adds them to its searchable database.  These finding aids generally include information about the contents and context of a collection, and some also contain detailed inventories.

While the WVRHC is excited to be included in ArchiveGrid, we urge patrons to remember that we have many other resources that are not searchable in ArchvieGrid.  Don’t forget to check out our website or visit us on the sixth floor of the Downtown Campus Library for access to the Printed Ephemera Collection, Civil War Telegrams, West Virginia History OnView photographs, and much more!

Blog entry by Jane Metters.