Arizona Heritage Center Library & Archives
The Library and Archives are open by appointment only. Please contact [email protected] or 480-387-5355 to schedule an appointment.
Arizona History Museum Library & Archives
The library and archives are open by appointment only. Please call 520-617-1157 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment.
Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library
The AHS Northern Division manuscript collections are located in the Special Collections department of Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library, 1001 S. Knoles Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86011.
The photograph, ephemera, and oral history collections are temporarily located at the Tempe location for processing.
Cline Library Special Collections and Archives hours: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm. Call (928) 523-5551 for holiday hours and seasonal changes.About the Library & Archives
The Arizona Historical Society Libraries & Archives collects published and unpublished material of enduring historical value that allows researchers to explore Arizona’s economic, political, social, and cultural heritage. Formats include manuscripts, photographs, diaries, letters, oral histories, sound recordings, moving images, microfilm, maps, books, and digital files.
Accessing the Collections
The Library & Archives holdings are housed in three locations: the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe, the Arizona History Museum in Tucson, and Cline Library at Northern Arizona University. We have a variety of materials available to aid researchers in locating material in these collections, however, due to the size and scope of materials only a small portion is available to view online. So researchers will need to schedule an appointment to view the materials in person, or contact the Library & Archives staff to discuss alternatives.
The Library Catalog is a good starting place for researchers looking to discover what material is available on a particular topic. It is searchable by keyword, title, author and format. If you are looking for a specific collection, finding aids are available for manuscript, photograph and audio-visual collections in the alphabetical lists below.
An archival finding aid provides an overview of a collection and its contents. The finding aid will not list every item but will give enough detail to help you discover which sections you might want to explore further.
For more in depth guidance on searching the collections, check out our Search Tips Guide.
Library Catalog
Collection Finding Aids
Manuscript Collections
The manuscript collections consist of over 1600 individual collections created by individuals, businesses, and organizations from across Arizona. The collections document significant aspects of life throughout Arizona's history dating from the 1700s to the present. Researchers who know the title of a specific collection they are looking for can find the collection guide or finding aid using the alphabetical listings below. The library catalog can also be used to search for collections by subject or keyword.
Photograph Collections
The photography collection consists of over 400 individual collections, totaling over 1 million individual images. Collection guides for individual collections can be found in the alphabetical listings below. Additionally, the library catalog can be used to search for photographs, including the general subject file collections, by keyword.
Oral History Collections
The Arizona Historical Society has a robust collection of oral histories highlighting diverse communities from around the state. Alphabetical listings of these interviews are available below. The library catalog can also be used to search for oral histories by subject or keyword.
Digitized Collections, Subject Guides, & Other Resources
Digitzed Collections
Only a fraction of the Historical Society's collections have been digitized. In most cases, researchers will need to make an appointment to view collections in person, or contact library and archives staff to inquire about ordering reproductions.
Digital exhibits with selected highlights from some of the Historical Society's archival collections are available to view. Check them out on our Digitized Collections page!
Ayres Newspaper Index
James “Jim” Edward Ayres (1936-2015) was a historical archaeologist who focused his research on the Southwestern United States. Toward the end of his life, Ayres undertook a massive project to index Tucson-area English-language newspapers published from 1870 to 1911. The index contains more than 140,000 cross-referenced entries and approximately 300 subject files. Click here to learn more and access the index.
The Journal of Arizona History
The Journal of Arizona History, the scholarly publication of the Arizona Historical Society, began publication in 1960 as Arizoniana and changed to the present title in 1966. Each quarterly issue contains 3-4 articles, reminiscences, documents, and/or photo essays pertaining to the history of Arizona, the Southwest, and northern Mexico; 10-14 reviews of current books; and a booknotes section highlighting reprints and publications of local and regional interest.
All AHS Members receive a printed copy of the journal quarterly, as well as online access to archived issues through JSTOR and Project MUSE. An subject index of articles which have appeared in the journal is also available.
Visit our Publications Department to learn more.
Looking for Help? Submit a Reference Request
Please include as many names, dates, and details as you can, and include where you have searched before.
