Archival Resources

Although by no means a comprehensive list, the following websites and search engines may be of use for business historians seeking archival material for their research. If you know of a useful tool or website that should be added to this list, please send an email to the BHC Web Editor at web-editor@thebhc.org.

  • ArchiveGrid

    • This free search engine is affiliated with WorldCat and provides access to over four million archival descriptors, primarily collections held by institutions in the United States. It is possible to search for archival collections with the subject "business enterprise."

  • Business History in the United States: A Guide to Archival Collections

    • This reference volume, edited by Terry Snyder and published by the German Historical Institute, provides guides to business archives in individual states and can be downloaded free of charge at the GHI website.

  • Hagley Museum and Library

  • Telecommunications History Group

    • THG Archives, located in Denver, CO, includes historic telephone directories, over 80,000 photographs and slides, historic documents, and other items. 

  • Inquire Capitalism, A Database of Company Archives

    • The Inquire Capitalism database is a curated, searchable index of corporate archives. It is a free catalog of archives created to assist students, scholars, archivists, and any other interested partners to find company archives in the United States. The database aims to help users create relations among archives of the same industry and to document what archives have digital content available and have or have not created history websites as part of their company website. For questions, please email inquirecapitalism@history.ufl.edu