Digital Collections
Below is a list of digital collections that contain images related to Los Angeles and Southern California culture, history, and geography.
- Calisphere This link opens in a new windowOver one million photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more from the collections digitized and contributed by all ten campuses of the University of California and other important libraries, archives, and museums throughout the state.
- Castillo (Oscar R.) Photograph CollectionApproximately 5000 images from the collection of the Los Angeles based photographer, Oscar Castillo. The collection documents images of social, cultural and artistic import to the Chicano/Latino community.
- Imagine Santa MonicaThis digital collection includes the Santa Monica Public Library Image Archives (1875-present ) and the Outlook newspaper (1875-1916).
- Lee (S. Charles) PapersDrawings, renderings, blueprints, photographs, and surveys relating to the professional career of architect S. Charles Lee, a developer and the most prolific architect of art deco movie palaces in Los Angeles.
- Los Angeles Public Library Photo CollectionMore than 60,000 images from the Los Angeles Central Library History Department's Photo Collection are available online. Images have been selected to represent the history of the growth of Los Angeles and California, Southern California life, and frequently requested subjects such as major events.
- Los Angeles Times Photographic Archives in Library Special CollectionsA selection of photos from the LA Times -- scroll sideways to see them.
- Tract Maps and Cadastral Maps of Southern California, 1868-1937The tract and cadastral maps in this collection are of real estate developments located in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Ventura counties. The maps are listed by location using the Thomas Brothers Maps' Los Angeles County Popular Street Atlas, 1931, Orange County, 1981, Riverside County, 1978, and Ventura County, 1979.
- UCLA Historic PhotographsThelner Barton Hoover's images of the UCLA buildings and academic community provide a thorough pictorial history of the UCLA Westwood campus. The almost 1,600 images range from the State Normal School in 1925 through the Alumni Association Awards in 1982.
Online Archive of California
The Online Archive of California lists the collections of universities, archives, and museums throughout California. These collections include rare manuscripts, collections of authors' letters and papers, and other unique materials illustrating California's heritage.
To browse materials related to Los Angeles, type "Los Angeles," a neighborhood name, or a landmark into the search box on the front page. Keep in mind that not all collections are digitized, though, and some may be far away.
Click here to start browsing or searching the collections!
