Using the Collections

Free access to select Ancestry.com materials from the Library of Virginia's collections. Available for Virginia residents only through Find It Virginia. Requires a valid Library of Virginia or Virginia public library card. GeoIP validation is used where available.

A classified index to The Dictionary of Virginia Biography (DVB), the first scholarly, comprehensive biographical reference work on Virginia.

A guide to the Library's microfilm holdings of indexes to births (1853-1899) and marriages (1853-1935).

A guide to the Library's microfilm holdings of state vital statistics: births (1853-1896), deaths (1853-1896), and marriages (1853-1935).

A guide to the microfilm of the death certificates and related indexes for deaths in Virginia from 1912-1939.

A list of publications currently available from Virginia state agencies

The letters received for Governors Jefferson and Henry have been redigitized and are available separately.

A guide to the archival collection illustrating the development of Virginia's roads, canals and railroads during the nineteenth century.

A fully-searchable index to the personal names of Confederate soldiers as they appear in the Confederate Veteran magazine published between 1893 and 1932.

An ongoing project indexing more than 744 sources and listing approximately 34,402 Virginians who have died in service.

A list of newspaper titles published by Virginia's local Civilian Conservation Corps Camps during the New Deal.

A bibliography of American Newspapers cataloged and inventoried by the Virginia Newspaper Project.

This is a bibliography and guide to newspaper indexes in the collections of the Library of Virginia.

A proper name and subject index covering more than 40 newspaper titles primarily published in Petersburg, Va., 1797-1877.

An author/subject index for 1951-2002 and the table of contents for all volumes.

An index to city and county land tax records on microfilm.

An index to city and county personal property tax records on microfilm.

Research note explaining how to use the Virginia Colonial Records Project database.

Provides the complete Papers released through 2009: the Colonial Series (1748-1775), Revolutionary War Series (1775-1780), Confederation Series (1784-1788), Presidential Series (1788-1795), Retirement Series (1797-1799) and the complete diaries (1748-1799).

Contains all of the content of the print edition: the Congressional Series (1751-1801), Secretary of State Series (1801-1805), Presidential Series (1809-1815), and Retirement Series (1817-1826).

Presents the complete contents of the print edition (1775-1835) in a fully searchable online format.

Brings together the 41 volumes of the Papers Main Series (1760-1803), volumes 1-12 of the Retirement Series (1809-1818), and volumes 1 and 2 of the Memorandum Books (a look at the daily life of Jefferson).

Provides biographical information for over 75,000 men and women born between 1713 and 1815, drawn from the digitized papers of the founding fathers and other documentary editions of the American Founding Era collection.

Access to thousands of databases which include census records, family trees, vital records, historical maps, immigration records, city directories, military records, and much more. Free remote access to select Ancestry.com materials from the Library of Virginia collections is available to Virginia residents via Ancestry for Virginians, a Find It Virginia (finditva.com) resource.

An index to reference works containing multiple biographies such as biographical dictionaries, who’s who publications, subject encyclopedias, and literary criticism volumes.

Searchable U.S. federal census records (1790-1940), full-text access to thousands of local and family history books, Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land-warrant application files, city directories, and Freedman's Bank records (1865-1874).

Includes diaries, journals and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans, and travelers. There are also family histories, folklore, and accounts regarding the development of farming and mining communities. These chronicles provide details regarding the social, political, economic, scientific, religious and agricultural characteristics of the communities in the vast region between Lexington, Kentucky and Winchester, Virginia, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Birmingham, Alabama.

Business records include ledger books, payroll books, cotton ginning books, work rules, account books, and receipts. Personal papers include family correspondence, diaries, and wills. The collection includes items from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida plantations.

With a strong emphasis on titles covered in the EconLit database, this collection provides academic journals and magazines focusing on topics in economics. Perfect for business classes, users will find more than 150 full-text journals to support their research.

Includes corporate profiles and financial data on over 80 million companies.

U.S. and international company data including annual reports, stock prices, SEC filings, equity and industry reports, and company histories.

U.S. business and residential directory. Allows users to generate lists of businesses by location and other variables such as business type, sales volume, number of employees, and year established. White pages can be used to conduct market research or locate friends and relatives. Search options include name, address, median home value, median home income, phone number, and more.

Perfect for business schools and entrepreneurs, this compilation provides insights, tips, strategies and success stories. Users will find over 280 subject-appropriate full-text periodicals.

Allows users to determine the publication status of U.S. books, ebooks, audio books, video, and multimedia titles. Users can also create lists of titles using various criteria such as awards won, format, audience category, review sources, and much more.

A collection of over 16,000 general interest eBooks (fiction and non-fiction) in PDF and EPUB formats. This is a collection of older works, rather than recent releases. It includes over 1,400 U.S. history-related texts, as well as Virginia-specific selections. There are also classics of literature, language study guides, titles for teens and children, and much more. Compatible eBook readers include the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Sony eReader. For additional options, please see the full list of compatible devices. For links to the EBSCOhost iOS and Android app and technical assistance, visit the EBSCO eBooks and Audiobooks Support Center.

The Gale Virtual Reference Library includes encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These texts can be viewed online, but can't be downloaded to eBook readers.

Access to the 20-volume Second Edition and 3 Additions Series volumes, as well as OED’s historical thesaurus.

Over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works, plus the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.

Use this resource to locate congressional reports, hearings, bills, laws, and much more. Includes full text access to: the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, including the American State Papers (1789-present), bills and laws (1970-present), vote report (1987-present), and the Congressional Record (1985-present). See FDSYS for hearings (1985-present). For earlier documents see A Century Of Lawmaking (Library of Congress).

Includes the most up-to-date information on the antique maps market, compiled from the offerings of hundreds of dealer and auction catalogs. The database currently contains over 80,000 entries, representing thousands of mapmakers, with new listings being routinely added as they become available.

Provides access to over 1.5 million U.S. cadastral (land ownership) maps from the late 1700’s to the present day and thousands of antiquarian maps covering the world (1400’s-1800’s). Includes geocoded maps which can be overlaid with present day Google map images and a Points of Interest Map Finding Tool to help users locate places and geographical features (e.g., buildings, streams, bridges, etc.). Provides access to over 1,000 city directories and to thousands of map-related images of family residences, buildings, advertisements, and more.

Historical Virginia fire insurance maps searchable by address or geographic coordinates. Allows maps from different years to be layered on top of each other and over modern street, satellite, and hybrid images.

Provides military records for over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, with over 17,000 photographs. Information which can be used for statistical analysis such as soldiers’ methods of entry into and exit from the military, age at enlistment, and the number of prisoners taken and casualties incurred during battles is also provided.

Regimental histories and first-person accounts compiled in the postwar period and early 20th century which chronicle the highs and lows of army life from 1861 through 1865. These accounts explore the reasons individuals volunteered, the experience of leaving home for the first time and entering camp, the clash of arms, the daily routines of camp life and garrison duty, and the anguish of imprisonment. Soldiers’ attitudes regarding army life, officers and fellow soldiers, the enemy, and the political questions of the war are candidly expressed. This collection comprises, in its entirety, the microfilm collection Travels in the Confederate States, as well as a small number of selected titles from the microfilm collection Travels in the New South I, 1865-1900.

Military records from the Civil War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican American and Early Indian wars, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Also provides access to some non-military record collections (e.g., the African American Collection and the Native American Collection).

Over 500 titles and more than 7 million articles with links to related sources found in reference books, magazine and newswire articles.

Searchable digital images of over 1,100 periodicals that first began publishing between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals.

Provides complete issues of the newspaper (including images) which can be retrieved by date. Issues for the current year are added as they become available. Please note: The search function isn't operational and will always return a zero result.

A one-stop source for articles on many topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature & art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and more.

A fully-indexed and keyword searchable electronic archive of the news and literary journal Harper's Weekly.

Full-text archives of over 1,000 leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work. Off-site users can access all JSTOR journal content published prior to 1923 in the United States and prior to 1870 elsewhere, in addition to over 2,000 ebooks via JSTOR's Open Content program. Additional journal content can be accessed by using the Register & Read program.

Provides full-text articles from over 2500 foreign and domestic newspapers including the New York Times (1980-current), Washington Post (1977-current), and USA Today (1989-current). Includes death notices and obituaries. Provides access to popular magazines such as Consumer Reports, as well as academic journals and law reviews. Also includes company profiles and financial data and a broad array of federal and state legal resources. Please note: The legal resources can only be accessed at the Library.

Digital collection of select issues of more than 5,000 national, local, and foreign newspapers, with some content dating back to the 1700's. Virginia titles with extensive coverage include the Bee (Danville, VA), Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Danville Register, Harrisonburg Daily News Record, Progress Index (Petersburg, VA), Pulaski Southwest Times, Radford News Journal, and Winchester Star.

Full-text coverage for national and international newspapers, and radio/t.v. program transcripts. Virginia content includes select coverage for the Daily Press (1997-2009; Nov. 2014-), Free Lance-Star (2002-Nov. 2016; May 2017-),Carroll News (2011-), and Virginia Gazette (2009-). Select historical coverage is provided for many titles including the Progress Index (2008-2014), Roanoke Times (1998-2013), and Manassas Journal & Messenger (2007-2009).

A digital collection that includes nearly 2,000 pamphlets and complete runs of eight newspaper titles (including Richmond’s Daily Dispatch from 14 January 1852 through 30 December 1865) which were specifically selected for the regional and diverse perspectives they offer.

Provides full-text access with digital reproductions of pages.

Provides full-text access with digital reproductions of pages.

Provides full-text access (no images).This database includes articles from the Richmond Times-Dispatch from Aug. 19, 1985-present and from the Richmond News Leader from Aug. 19, 1985-May 30, 1992. However, all articles are cited as being from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Library's Reference Dept. staff can provide assistance in determining which newspaper published a particular article (804) 692-3777 or refdesk@lva.virginia.gov

Provides full-text access with digital reproductions of pages.

This collection provides coverage of the current thinking and events in U.S. History, as well as scholarly work being established in the field. This compilation of over 40 journals provides robust and balanced coverage of the field.

Provides complete issues of the newspaper (including images) which can be retrieved by date. Issues for the current year are added as they become available. Please note: The search function isn't operational and will always return a zero result.

Full-text magazines, newspapers, pictures, maps, and TV & radio transcripts. Includes select coverage of the Daily Press, Roanoke Times & World News, Washington Post, and Washington Times.

A database developed especially for beginning researchers in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface & curriculum-related, age appropriate content from the best elementary reference sources.

Designed for students in junior high & middle school, this resource gives access to indexed & full-text magazines, newspapers & reference books on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports & more.

This database is designed for high-school students with access to a variety of indexed & full-text magazines, newspapers, podcasts, & reference books covering current events, the arts, science, pop culture, health, government, history, sports & more.

Over 300,000 journal articles on the history of women.

Provides military records for over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, with over 17,000 photographs. Information which can be used for statistical analysis such as soldiers’ methods of entry into and exit from the military, age at enlistment, and the number of prisoners taken and casualties incurred during battles is also provided.

Provides the complete Papers released through 2009: the Colonial Series (1748-1775), Revolutionary War Series (1775-1780), Confederation Series (1784-1788), Presidential Series (1788-1795), Retirement Series (1797-1799) and the complete diaries (1748-1799).

Contains all of the content of the print edition: the Congressional Series (1751-1801), Secretary of State Series (1801-1805), Presidential Series (1809-1815), and Retirement Series (1817-1826).

Presents the complete contents of the print edition (1775-1835) in a fully searchable online format.

Brings together the 41 volumes of the Papers Main Series (1760-1803), volumes 1-12 of the Retirement Series (1809-1818), and volumes 1 and 2 of the Memorandum Books (a look at the daily life of Jefferson).

Provides biographical information for over 75,000 men and women born between 1713 and 1815, drawn from the digitized papers of the founding fathers and other documentary editions of the American Founding Era collection.

Searchable digital images of over 1,100 periodicals that first began publishing between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals.

Free access to select Ancestry.com materials from the Library of Virginia's collections. Available for Virginia residents only through Find It Virginia. Requires a valid Library of Virginia or Virginia public library card. GeoIP validation is used where available.

Access to thousands of databases which include census records, family trees, vital records, historical maps, immigration records, city directories, military records, and much more. Free remote access to select Ancestry.com materials from the Library of Virginia collections is available to Virginia residents via Ancestry for Virginians, a Find It Virginia (finditva.com) resource.

Includes the most up-to-date information on the antique maps market, compiled from the offerings of hundreds of dealer and auction catalogs. The database currently contains over 80,000 entries, representing thousands of mapmakers, with new listings being routinely added as they become available.

An index to reference works containing multiple biographies such as biographical dictionaries, who’s who publications, subject encyclopedias, and literary criticism volumes.

A guide to the Library's microfilm holdings of indexes to births (1853-1899) and marriages (1853-1935).

A guide to the Library's microfilm holdings of state vital statistics: births (1853-1896), deaths (1853-1896), and marriages (1853-1935).

A guide to the archival collection illustrating the development of Virginia's roads, canals and railroads during the nineteenth century.

Allows users to determine the publication status of U.S. books, ebooks, audio books, video, and multimedia titles. Users can also create lists of titles using various criteria such as awards won, format, audience category, review sources, and much more.

With a strong emphasis on titles covered in the EconLit database, this collection provides academic journals and magazines focusing on topics in economics. Perfect for business classes, users will find more than 150 full-text journals to support their research.

Describes these rich court records that often contain useful information for biographical, genealogical, and historical research. Chancery cases often address the division of estates, the dissolution of business partnerships, the resolution of land disputes, and divorce. The Chancery Records Index, including digital images for many counties, is available on Virginia Memory

Regimental histories and first-person accounts compiled in the postwar period and early 20th century which chronicle the highs and lows of army life from 1861 through 1865. These accounts explore the reasons individuals volunteered, the experience of leaving home for the first time and entering camp, the clash of arms, the daily routines of camp life and garrison duty, and the anguish of imprisonment. Soldiers’ attitudes regarding army life, officers and fellow soldiers, the enemy, and the political questions of the war are candidly expressed. This collection comprises, in its entirety, the microfilm collection Travels in the Confederate States, as well as a small number of selected titles from the microfilm collection Travels in the New South I, 1865-1900.

A list of newspaper titles published by Virginia's local Civilian Conservation Corps Camps during the New Deal.

Research note explaining how to use the Virginia Colonial Records Project database.

A fully-searchable index to the personal names of Confederate soldiers as they appear in the Confederate Veteran magazine published between 1893 and 1932.

Provides complete issues of the newspaper (including images) which can be retrieved by date. Issues for the current year are added as they become available. Please note: The search function isn't operational and will always return a zero result.

A guide to the microfilm of the death certificates and related indexes for deaths in Virginia from 1912-1939.

A classified index to The Dictionary of Virginia Biography (DVB), the first scholarly, comprehensive biographical reference work on Virginia.

A collection of over 16,000 general interest eBooks (fiction and non-fiction) in PDF and EPUB formats. This is a collection of older works, rather than recent releases. It includes over 1,400 U.S. history-related texts, as well as Virginia-specific selections. There are also classics of literature, language study guides, titles for teens and children, and much more. Compatible eBook readers include the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Sony eReader. For additional options, please see the full list of compatible devices. For links to the EBSCOhost iOS and Android app and technical assistance, visit the EBSCO eBooks and Audiobooks Support Center.

Full-text magazines, newspapers, pictures, maps, and TV & radio transcripts. Includes select coverage of the Daily Press, Roanoke Times & World News, Washington Post, and Washington Times.

Military records from the Civil War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican American and Early Indian wars, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Also provides access to some non-military record collections (e.g., the African American Collection and the Native American Collection).

A one-stop source for articles on many topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature & art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and more.

The Gale Virtual Reference Library includes encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These texts can be viewed online, but can't be downloaded to eBook readers.

The letters received for Governors Jefferson and Henry have been redigitized and are available separately.

A fully-indexed and keyword searchable electronic archive of the news and literary journal Harper's Weekly.

Searchable U.S. federal census records (1790-1940), full-text access to thousands of local and family history books, Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land-warrant application files, city directories, and Freedman's Bank records (1865-1874).

Provides access to over 1.5 million U.S. cadastral (land ownership) maps from the late 1700’s to the present day and thousands of antiquarian maps covering the world (1400’s-1800’s). Includes geocoded maps which can be overlaid with present day Google map images and a Points of Interest Map Finding Tool to help users locate places and geographical features (e.g., buildings, streams, bridges, etc.). Provides access to over 1,000 city directories and to thousands of map-related images of family residences, buildings, advertisements, and more.

Full-text archives of over 1,000 leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work. Off-site users can access all JSTOR journal content published prior to 1923 in the United States and prior to 1870 elsewhere, in addition to over 2,000 ebooks via JSTOR's Open Content program. Additional journal content can be accessed by using the Register & Read program.

Offer a tremendous amount of research potential, providing a great deal of information concerning the activities and interests of the people who lived in the locality.

A database developed especially for beginning researchers in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface & curriculum-related, age appropriate content from the best elementary reference sources.

An index to city and county land tax records on microfilm.

Includes corporate profiles and financial data on over 80 million companies.

Provides full-text articles from over 2500 foreign and domestic newspapers including the New York Times (1980-current), Washington Post (1977-current), and USA Today (1989-current). Includes death notices and obituaries. Provides access to popular magazines such as Consumer Reports, as well as academic journals and law reviews. Also includes company profiles and financial data and a broad array of federal and state legal resources. Please note: The legal resources can only be accessed at the Library.

U.S. and international company data including annual reports, stock prices, SEC filings, equity and industry reports, and company histories.

Over 500 titles and more than 7 million articles with links to related sources found in reference books, magazine and newswire articles.

An ongoing project indexing more than 744 sources and listing approximately 34,402 Virginians who have died in service.

Includes diaries, journals and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans, and travelers. There are also family histories, folklore, and accounts regarding the development of farming and mining communities. These chronicles provide details regarding the social, political, economic, scientific, religious and agricultural characteristics of the communities in the vast region between Lexington, Kentucky and Winchester, Virginia, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Birmingham, Alabama.

Digital collection of select issues of more than 5,000 national, local, and foreign newspapers, with some content dating back to the 1700's. Virginia titles with extensive coverage include the Bee (Danville, VA), Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Danville Register, Harrisonburg Daily News Record, Progress Index (Petersburg, VA), Pulaski Southwest Times, Radford News Journal, and Winchester Star.

Full-text coverage for national and international newspapers, and radio/t.v. program transcripts. Virginia content includes select coverage for the Daily Press (1997-2009; Nov. 2014-), Free Lance-Star (2002-Nov. 2016; May 2017-),Carroll News (2011-), and Virginia Gazette (2009-). Select historical coverage is provided for many titles including the Progress Index (2008-2014), Roanoke Times (1998-2013), and Manassas Journal & Messenger (2007-2009).

A bibliography of American Newspapers cataloged and inventoried by the Virginia Newspaper Project.

This is a bibliography and guide to newspaper indexes in the collections of the Library of Virginia.

Access to the 20-volume Second Edition and 3 Additions Series volumes, as well as OED’s historical thesaurus.

Over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works, plus the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.

An index to city and county personal property tax records on microfilm.

A proper name and subject index covering more than 40 newspaper titles primarily published in Petersburg, Va., 1797-1877.

A digital collection that includes nearly 2,000 pamphlets and complete runs of eight newspaper titles (including Richmond’s Daily Dispatch from 14 January 1852 through 30 December 1865) which were specifically selected for the regional and diverse perspectives they offer.

Use this resource to locate congressional reports, hearings, bills, laws, and much more. Includes full text access to: the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, including the American State Papers (1789-present), bills and laws (1970-present), vote report (1987-present), and the Congressional Record (1985-present). See FDSYS for hearings (1985-present). For earlier documents see A Century Of Lawmaking (Library of Congress).

Provides full-text access with digital reproductions of pages.

Provides full-text access with digital reproductions of pages.

Business records include ledger books, payroll books, cotton ginning books, work rules, account books, and receipts. Personal papers include family correspondence, diaries, and wills. The collection includes items from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida plantations.

Historical Virginia fire insurance maps searchable by address or geographic coordinates. Allows maps from different years to be layered on top of each other and over modern street, satellite, and hybrid images.

U.S. business and residential directory. Allows users to generate lists of businesses by location and other variables such as business type, sales volume, number of employees, and year established. White pages can be used to conduct market research or locate friends and relatives. Search options include name, address, median home value, median home income, phone number, and more.

Designed for students in junior high & middle school, this resource gives access to indexed & full-text magazines, newspapers & reference books on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports & more.

Provides full-text access (no images).This database includes articles from the Richmond Times-Dispatch from Aug. 19, 1985-present and from the Richmond News Leader from Aug. 19, 1985-May 30, 1992. However, all articles are cited as being from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Library's Reference Dept. staff can provide assistance in determining which newspaper published a particular article (804) 692-3777 or refdesk@lva.virginia.gov

Provides full-text access with digital reproductions of pages.

Perfect for business schools and entrepreneurs, this compilation provides insights, tips, strategies and success stories. Users will find over 280 subject-appropriate full-text periodicals.

This database is designed for high-school students with access to a variety of indexed & full-text magazines, newspapers, podcasts, & reference books covering current events, the arts, science, pop culture, health, government, history, sports & more.

This collection provides coverage of the current thinking and events in U.S. History, as well as scholarly work being established in the field. This compilation of over 40 journals provides robust and balanced coverage of the field.

An author/subject index for 1951-2002 and the table of contents for all volumes.

A list of publications currently available from Virginia state agencies

Provides complete issues of the newspaper (including images) which can be retrieved by date. Issues for the current year are added as they become available. Please note: The search function isn't operational and will always return a zero result.

Over 300,000 journal articles on the history of women.