With the daily increase in the amount of information available through the Internet, it becomes easier to identify possible sources in other institutions. One could search the Internet for each repository’s website. Because this is an inefficient search strategy, librarians at Yale have compiled subject guides intended to provide some possible ideas for research in a given discipline. The focus and contents of the guides vary significantly, depending on the subject area, and they are by no means comprehensive.

There are tools that bring together descriptions of collections across many institutions. These are referred to as "union catalogs." There is no one union catalog that describes all manuscript and archival materials. A few of the more comprehensive ones for locating these sources--RLG Union Catalog and Archival Resources, OCLC FirstSearch, ArchivesUSA, and National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections--are described below.

Searches in this tutorial requiring the use of these tools may not be possible for anyone outside of Yale or another subscribing institution.

Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240, New Haven, CT 06520-8240

mssa.assist@yale.edu

All contents copyright ©2000, Manuscripts and Archives,
Yale University Library. All rights reserved.
URL: http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/