Skip to Main Content
Zondervan Library
Discover. Connect. Learn. Create.

Archival Collections

Using Google to Discover Archival Collections

1. Use Key Terms with Modifiers

Adding words like archives, archival collection, special collections, digital collections, manuscripts, primary sources helps discover institutional holdings.

Example: Instead of just searching civil rights movement, try:

  • civil rights movement archival collection
  • civil rights manuscripts site:.edu
  • civil rights oral histories digital collection
  • civil rights primary sources
3. Add Institutional or Domain Filters

Many archives live on university (.edu), government (.gov), or museum (.org) sites.

Example searches:

  • Harlem Renaissance site:.edu archives
  • Vietnam War oral histories site:.gov
  • “medieval manuscripts” site:.org
  • Holocaust site:edu archives
5. Search within Known Portals

Sometimes it’s more efficient to start with a meta-search tool instead of Google alone:

  • ArchiveGrid – search across thousands of archives worldwide.
  • Digital Public Library of America – U.S. digital collections.
  • WorldCat – catalog of libraries and archives worldwide.
2. Use Quotation Marks for Phrases

Using quotation marks keeps a phrase together.

Example:

  • "archival collection" keeps the words together.
  • "digital collection" or "special collections" can help.
  • "primary source" + your topic is also effective.
  • "civil war" + photograph*
  • "erik erikson" + manuscripts
  • "john adams" + letters
4. Try Synonyms and Specific Formats

Different institutions use different words. Test variations:

  • archives
  • archival collection
  • special collections
  • digital collections
  • manuscripts
  • repository
6. Use Topic + Format + Archive

A strong formula is:
[Topic/Person/Event] + [archive OR archives OR “digital collection” OR manuscripts]

Examples:

  • Harlem Renaissance + “digital collection”
  • Cesar Chavez + archives
  • climate change + manuscripts site:.edu

Rule of Thumb for Students:
Use archives when you want to find where materials are physically kept, and digital collections when you want online access. Often, a combined search (archival OR digital collection) works best. Here is an example of a "catch-all" formula for Google searching: [Your Topic] (archives OR "archival collection" OR "digital collection" OR manuscripts)