The online catalog and finding aids are among the tools available to help access the collections. But these tools do have limitations, some technical and some due to the specialized nature of how archives and archival material are handled. So we're always looking for additional opportunities to present information in ways that help connect researchers - you! - to all of the materials that we hold in trust for the public - also you!
To that end, we offer an ever-growing list of curated short-cuts into historical materials on general subjects (such as the ever-popular Building History) or specific topics (such as DC Statehood). They are compiled by Kiplinger Research Library reference staff, interns, fellows, and volunteers. Guides will also often direct researchers to other local repositories and organizations: There is no singular place to find all information about a local DC topic! There are a few main categories of guides:
Researching ... guides focus on providing tools for investigating specific topics.
Teaching ... guides focus on presenting materials, including primary and secondary sources as well as lesson plans, to help K-12 educators incorporate local DC history into the classroom.
Context for Today ... guides are created as resources, including collections as well as programs and commentary, to support further understanding of topics and questions addressed during our Context for Today public program series. This series, which began in June 2020, helps our community reflect on our past and how it continues to inform the present. The entire run of programs is available for viewing through our YouTube Channel.
Exploring ... guides are context for understanding various components of the DC History Center, including the collections and collections management.
How to ... guides offer hands-on resources to support in preserving your history.
There are several different ways to search the online catalog.
Keyword Search
The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. The online catalog follows Boolean operations and can be successfully searched in the following ways.
OR: is the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Carnegie Library will return records associated with Carnegie OR Library).
AND: use AND if you want to find records where both keywords are found
NOT: use NOT to exclude keywords from your search
Quotation Marks: to search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "home rule").
Asterisk: Use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.)
Advanced Search
The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.
Catalog Searches (Archives / Photos / Printed Materials / Artwork & Selected Objects)
The catalog buttons can also help narrow down your search, by only searching with a selected catalog. You can also browse records within that catalog without performing a search. Phrase searching, wildcards (*) as well as AND/OR statements are available when performing catalog searches.
In the Photographs & Selected Visual Materials catalog only, to find images of a particular location, the best way is to search using the hundred block of the address. For example, to find pictures of 906 G Street NW, use 900 AND G and NW. Additionally, you can enter the 4-digit Square number in the advance search field. If the building is a named institution, it might also be searchable under its name (e.g. “General Post Office”).
Finding aids are narra
tive guides to archival collections created by the repository to describe the contents of the material. They often provide much more detailed information than can be found in individual catalog records. Contents of finding aids often include short biographies or histories, processing notes, information about the size, scope, and material types included in the collection, guidance on how to navigate the collection, and an index to box and folder contents.
Not every collection warrants a finding aid (a catalog record can often be sufficient). Finding aids, where available, can be accessed via links at the bottom of relevant catalog records.
Processing and describing collections is an iterative process. Many finding aids are legacy finding aids – guides which have not been updated recently. Information may be outdated, such as the DC History Center's current contact information or exact box numbers for contents’ location within the collection. Legacy finding aids are a product of their times; language and terms may not reflect the DC History Center’s commitment to culturally sensitive and anti-racist language. A legacy finding aid is provided in “as is” condition for immediate use by the public, and will be replaced with an updated version when available.
The Kiplinger Research Library, located on the second floor of the Carnegie Library building, is the DC History Center’s non-circulating, special collections repository.
