Using the Collections
As the commonwealth's library at the seat of government and the state archives, the Library of Virginia's collections of books, periodicals, government publications, newspapers, architectural drawings and plans, manuscripts, archival records, maps, rare books, prints and photographs, and fine art are unsurpassed in depth and scope. These collections document the history, culture, and people of the commonwealth and are available on paper and microfilm, as well as digitally.
Start your Research
Guides and Indexes include bibliographies and descriptive research notes to our print, newspaper, manuscript, and archival collections. Created over many years by staff subject experts and continually updated and added to, these valuable research tools are arranged by topic.

African American Newspapers Available from the Library of Virginia
African American Research at the Library of Virginia to 1870
Brown vs. Board of Education - Fifty Years: Selected Published Materials at the Library of Virginia
Cohabitation Registers (digital collection)
Foresaken: A Digital Bibliography (digital collection)
John Brown's Raid: Records and Resources at the Library of Virginia
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission Digital Collection
Resources Virginia Indians at the Library of Virginia
Slavery in Virginia
Virginia Untold: the African American Narrative (digital collection)
Willis M. Carter Digital Collection

Bibliography of Selected Resources Published Sources
Research at The Library of Virginia
Research at The Library of Virginia: A Selected Bibliography

Biographical Research at the Library of Virginia: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Dictionary of Virginia Biography
Family Bible Records
Family Coats of Arms, Index to Sources on
Genealogical Records at the Library of Virginia
Genealogists, Published Materials for
Genealogy - How To Begin
Genealogy Chart (Blank)
Historical Census Records, Using
Michael Miley Studio Collection (digital collection)
Naturalizations, 1657-1776, Virginia
Naturalizations, 1776-1929, Virginia
Researching Virginia Authors
S. Bassett French Biographical Sketches (digital collection)
Sources on Patrick Henry at the Library of Virginia
Virginia Czech and Slovak Folklife Festival (digital collection)
Virginia Yearbooks Digital Project
WPA Life Histories Collection (digital collection)

Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers
Bristol Church and Family Cemeteries Index
Death Certificates, 1912-1939
Death Index / Virginia (DIVA)
Henley Marriage and Obituary Index to Virginia Newspapers
Hollywood Cemetery: Selected Resources Available at the Library of Virginia
Marriage Index for Richmond Enquirer/Richmond Visitor
Marriage Records, Early Virginia
Marriage Records, Index to
Obituary Index for Richmond Enquirer/Richmond Visitor
Vital Records (Virginia) and Ancestry.com
Vital Statistics Records, Using
Wills and Administrations, Index to
See also County and City Research


County and City Court Records, Using
County and City Research in Virginia
Kentucky Records at the Library of Virginia
Lost Records Localities Digital Collection
Public Buildings and Grounds Collection (digital collection)
Virginia City Directories at the Library of Virginia
West Virginia Records at the Library of Virginia
See also Births, Deaths, Marriages

Rare Books (digital collection)
Sheet Music Collection (digital collection)


Federal Documents Depository Program
Government Reform Commission Reports (digital collection)
Legal Resources, Virginia
Legislative History
State Government Publications (digital collection)
Supreme Court of Virginia Records and Briefs Database
Virginia State Documents

Clemency Records
Election Records: Presidential and Congressional Election Returns at the Library of Virginia
Election Records: Published Returns at the Library of Virginia
Election Returns: Gubernatorial and State Office Election Results at the Library of Virginia
Electoral College Digital Collection
Governor Mark R. Warner Administration Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Governor’s Records, 1776 - 1998, Using Virginia
Governor's Letters Received, June 1776–November 1784 (digital collection)
Henry Executive Papers Digital Collection, 1776-1778
Jefferson Executive Papers Digital Collection, 1779-1781
Kaine Email Project @ LVA (digital collection)
Legislative Petitions Digital Collection
Legislative Petitions research note
State Artwork Collection (digital collection)
Virginia Legislature Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Other topics that point to historic state government records include Births, Deaths, Marriages; Maps and Architecture, County and City Research, Virginia Land Office, and Tax Records.
Several Historic Virginia Government Records collections, such as the Governors' Letters Received, have been digitized and are available on Virginia Memory.

Alan M. Voorhees Map Collection (digital collection)
Architectural Drawings and Plans at the Library of Virginia
Architecture Sources, Virginia
Benjamin Henry Latrobe Collection (digital collection)
Board of Public Works Inventory
Capital Square Renovation Collection (web archive)
Carneal & Johnston Negative Collection (digital collection)
Charles F. Gillette Virginia Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Civil War Map Project (digital collection)
From Williamsburg To Wills's Creek: The Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia, its Predecessors and Derivatives
Fry–Jefferson Maps, Surveys and Derivatives (digital collection)
Internal Improvement Movement in Virginia: Early Canals, River Navigations, Roads, Turnpikes, Bridges, and Railroads
Landscape Architecture Resources at the Library of Virginia, Bibliography of
Map Books and Periodicals, Many of which Relate to Virginia, Selected Bibliography of
Map Collection in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Using the
Map Collection Index
Maps of the District of Columbia
Mutual Assurance Society Records
Researching Virginia Place Names
Richmond Esthetic Survey/Historic Building Survey (digital collection)
Richmond: Evolution of a City as Shown Through Maps at the Library of Virginia
School Buildings Service Photographs (digital collection)
Virginia Capitol: An American Architectural Milestone
Virginia Historical Inventory (digital collection)
Virginia, Discovered and Described: John Smith’s Map of Virginia and Its Derivatives
WPA Historical Houses Drawings Digital Collection

Civil War Records, Using Virginia
Civil War Research Guide
Civil War Resources in the Personal Papers and Military Records Collections at the Library of Virginia, Selected
Confederate Disability Applications and Receipts (digital collection)
Confederate Navy Index
Confederate Pension Rolls, Veterans and Widows (digital collection)
Confederate Rosters, Index to Virginia
Confederate Veteran Magazine, Index to
Culpeper County Classes, 1781
Dunmore's War (Virginia Payrolls/Public Service Claims, 1775)
James I Robertson Jr Civil War Sesquicentennial Legacy Collection (digital collection)
Korean War 1950-1953+, Virginia's Participation in the
Mexican War Soldiers
Military Dead database, Virginia
Persian Gulf War 1990-1991, Virginia's Participation in the
Revolutionary War Bounty Warrants (digital collection)
Revolutionary War Land Office Military Certificates
Revolutionary War Public Service Claims
Revolutionary War Records, Using Virginia
Revolutionary War Rejected Claims (digital collection)
Revolutionary War Virginia State Pensions (digital collection)
Robert E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers' Home Applications for Admission (digital collection)
Soldiers of the War of 1812
Spanish American War, 1898; the Philippine Insurrection, 1899—1901; and the China Relief Expedition, 1900—1901, Virginia’s Participation in the
U.S. Army Signal Corps Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Vietnam War 1961-1975, Virginia's Participation in the
War of 1812 Bicentennial Collection (digital collection)
War of 1812 Pay Rolls and Muster Rolls, Index to
World War I History Commission Questionnaires (digital collection)
World War I Poster Collection (digital collection)
World War I, Virginia’s Participation in
World War II Poster Collection (digital collection)
See also Maps & Architecture and Women's History for related materials.

Born in the Wake of Freedom: John Mitchell, Jr., and the Richmond Planet
Civilian Conservation Corps Camps Newspapers
Lewis and Clark : "We send from this place with dispatches."
Magazine Index: Selected Articles on Virginia 1900–1985
Newspaper Index: Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond News Leader 1940's–1985
Newspapers in Virginia Bibliography
Petersburg Public Library Newspaper Index
R. M. S. Titanic: 100 Years Later
The Engraver's Art: Newspaper Mastheads
Virginia Cavalcade
Virginia Chronicle (digital collection)
See also African American and Native American Resources; Births, Deaths, and Marriages; Military Service; and Women's History for related materials.


Land Tax Records on Microfilm, Virginia
Personal Property Tax Records in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Using Virginia
Personal Property Tax Records on Microfilm, Virginia
See also County and City Research for other holdings related to Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Adolph B. Rice Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Callahan Photograph Collection, Eastern Shore Public Library (digital collection)
Colonial Records Project, Virginia (digital collection)
Colonial Records Project, Virginia (Research Note 7)
Fairfax County Public Library Historical Photographs (digital collection)
Fairfax County Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Hamblin Studio Photograph Collection, Suffolk Public Library (digital collection)
Hampton Public Library/City of Hampton Historical Collection Photographs (digital collection)
Harry C. Mann Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Historic Virginia Documents on the Internet
Hopewell Virginia Locals of United Mine Workers of America Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Jamestown and Seventeenth-Century Colonial Virginia: A Selection of Readings and Web Sites
New Deal in Virginia, The
Newport News Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Organization Records at the Library of Virginia
Portsmouth Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Radford Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Roanoke County Public Library Local History Photographs (digital collection)
Stereograph Collection (digital collection)
Suggested Readings on Virginia History
Tantilla Gardens Poster Collection (digital collection)
Tazewell County Public Library Photographs (digital collection)
Travel Brochures Digital Collection
Virginia Chamber of Commerce Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Waynesboro Public Library Photographs (digital collection)

Land Office Patents and Grants/Northern Neck Grants and Surveys, Virginia (digital collection)
Land Office, Virginia (Research Note 20)
Northern Neck Grants and Surveys Chronological Display
Northern Neck Land Proprietary Records (Research Note 23)

Women and the First World War, Virginia
Women and the Second World War, Virginia
Women's History Resources in the Archives of the Library of Virginia, Using
Databases and eBooks are external resources to which the Library subscribes. They provide access to current and historical newspapers, magazines, and journals, as well as genealogical resources, historical maps, civil war records, encyclopedias and directories, and many other texts.

American History Collection: Papers of James Madison Digital Edition
American History Collection: Papers of John Marshall Digital Edition
American History Collection: Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition
American History Collection: Papers of Woodrow Wilson Digital Edition
American History Collection: People of the Founding Era, a Biographical Resource
AncestryInstitution.com (In Library Use Only)
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
FamilySearch (In Library Use Only)
Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia (1700-1950)
Proquest History Vault. Slavery in Antebellum Southern Industries (1700-1896)
Proquest History Vault. Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records (Parts 1 and 2)

Mergent Online

Nexis Uni

eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

Novelist Plus
Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford Reference Online

Oxford Scholarship Online
Peterson's Career Prep

Gale Legal Forms
Nexis Uni
Proquest Congressional Publications
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law
Social Explorer

Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970
FIMo (Fire Insurance Maps Online)
Historic Map Works Library Edition

Civil War in Words and Deeds
fold3 Library Edition (In Library Use Only)

America's News: Historical and Current
HarpWeek (1857-1912)

JSTOR (remote access available until 06/30/2021)
MasterFile Complete
Newspaper Archive
Nexis Uni
Proquest Civil War Era (1840-1865)
Proquest Historical Newspapers. Black Newspaper Collection
Proquest Historical Newspapers. The Washington Post (1877-2003)
Proquest Recent Newspapers: The Washington Post (2008-recent)
Proquest Recent Newspapers: U.S. Southeast Collection
RBDigital Magazines (formerly Zinio)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Please see the America's News database above.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law

Universal Class
View an alphabetical listing of all of the guides, indexes and research databases.
Adolph B. Rice Photograph Collection (digital collection)
African American Church Histories at the Library of Virginia
African American Newspapers Available from the Library of Virginia
African American Research at the Library of Virginia to 1870
Alan M. Voorhees Map Collection (digital collection)
American Civil War Research Database
America's News: Historical and Current
Architecture Sources, Virginia
Archival Web Collections (digital collection)
Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Resources
Best Sources for Virginia Research by Time Period
Bibliography of Selected Resources Published Sources
Biographical Research at the Library of Virginia: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Bristol Church and Family Cemeteries Index
Broadsides Collection (digital collection)
Brown vs. Board of Education - Fifty Years: Selected Published Materials at the Library of Virginia
Burned Jurisdiction Database
Capital Square Renovation Collection (web archive)
Carneal & Johnston Negative Collection (digital collection)
Chancery Cases Research Note
Charles F. Gillette Virginia Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Civil Rights and Social Justice
Civil War Records in the Archives
Civil War Records, Using Virginia
Civil War Research Guide
Civil War Resources in the Personal Papers and Military Records Collections at the Library of Virginia, Selected
Civilian Conservation Corps Camps Newspapers
Cohabitation Registers (digital collection)
Colonial Records Project, Virginia (digital collection)
Colonial Records Project, Virginia (Research Note 7)
Confederate Disability Applications and Receipts (digital collection)
Confederate Navy Index
Confederate Pension Rolls, Veterans and Widows (digital collection)
Confederate Rosters, Index to Virginia
Confederate Veteran Magazine, Index to
County and City Records at the Library of Virginia
County and City Records on Microfilm
County and City Research in Virginia
Culpeper County Classes, 1781
Dictionary of Virginia Biography

Election Records: Published Returns at the Library of Virginia
Election Returns: Gubernatorial and State Office Election Results at the Library of Virginia
Electoral College Digital Collection
Executive Orders Digital Collection
Fairfax County Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Family Bible Records
Family Coats of Arms, Index to Sources on
FamilySearch (In Library Use Only)
FIMo (Fire Insurance Maps Online)
From Williamsburg To Wills's Creek: The Fry-Jefferson Map of Virginia, its Predecessors and Derivatives
Fry–Jefferson Maps, Surveys and Derivatives (digital collection)
Genealogists, Published Materials for
Genealogy - How To Begin
Genealogy Chart (Blank)
Government Reform Commission Reports (digital collection)
Governor Mark R. Warner Administration Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Governor’s Records, 1776 - 1998, Using Virginia
Governor's Letters Received, June 1776–November 1784 (digital collection)
Hampton Public Library/City of Hampton Historical Collection Photographs (digital collection)
HarpWeek (1857-1912)

Henley Marriage and Obituary Index to Virginia Newspapers
Henry Executive Papers Digital Collection, 1776-1778
Historic Map Works Library Edition
Historical Census Records, Using
Hollywood Cemetery: Selected Resources Available at the Library of Virginia
Hopewell Virginia Locals of United Mine Workers of America Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Jamestown and Seventeenth-Century Colonial Virginia: A Selection of Readings and Web Sites
Jefferson Executive Papers Digital Collection, 1779-1781
John Brown's Raid: Records and Resources at the Library of Virginia
JSTOR (remote access available until 06/30/2021)
Kentucky Records at the Library of Virginia
Korean War 1950-1953+, Virginia's Participation in the
Land Office Patents and Grants/Northern Neck Grants and Surveys, Virginia (digital collection)
Land Office, Virginia (Research Note 20)
Land Tax Records in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Using Virginia
Land Tax Records on Microfilm, Virginia
Legal Resources, Virginia
Legislative History
Legislative Petitions Digital Collection
Legislative Petitions research note
Lewis and Clark : "We send from this place with dispatches."
Lost Records Localities Database
Lost Records Localities Digital Collection
Lost Records Localities: Counties & Cities with Missing Records
Magazine Index: Selected Articles on Virginia 1900–1985
Map Books and Periodicals, Many of which Relate to Virginia, Selected Bibliography of
Map Collection in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Using the
Map Collection Index
Maps of the District of Columbia
Marriage Index for Richmond Enquirer/Richmond Visitor
Marriage Records, Early Virginia
Marriage Records, Index to
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission Digital Collection
MasterFile Complete

Michael Miley Studio Collection (digital collection)
Military Dead database, Virginia
Naturalizations, 1776-1929, Virginia
New Deal in Virginia, The
Newport News Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Newspaper Archive
Newspapers in Virginia Bibliography
Northern Neck Land Proprietary Records (Research Note 23)
Novelist Plus
Organization Records at the Library of Virginia
Oxford English Dictionary


Persian Gulf War 1990-1991, Virginia's Participation in the
Personal Property Tax Records in the Archives at the Library of Virginia, Using Virginia
Personal Property Tax Records on Microfilm, Virginia
Portsmouth Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Proquest Civil War Era (1840-1865)
Radford Public Library Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Rare Books (digital collection)
RBDigital Magazines (formerly Zinio)
Research at The Library of Virginia: A Selected Bibliography
Researching in the Archives Collections
Researching Virginia Authors
Researching Virginia Place Names
Resources Virginia Indians at the Library of Virginia
Revolutionary War Bounty Warrants (digital collection)
Revolutionary War Land Office Military Certificates
Revolutionary War Public Service Claims
Revolutionary War Records, Using Virginia
Revolutionary War Rejected Claims (digital collection)
Revolutionary War Virginia State Pensions (digital collection)
Richmond Esthetic Survey/Historic Building Survey (digital collection)
Richmond: Evolution of a City as Shown Through Maps at the Library of Virginia
Roanoke County Public Library Local History Photographs (digital collection)
Robert E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers' Home Applications for Admission (digital collection)
School Buildings Service Photographs (digital collection)
Sheet Music Collection (digital collection)
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law
Social Explorer
Sources on Patrick Henry at the Library of Virginia
Spanish American War, 1898; the Philippine Insurrection, 1899—1901; and the China Relief Expedition, 1900—1901, Virginia’s Participation in the
State Artwork Collection (digital collection)
State Government Publications (digital collection)
Stereograph Collection (digital collection)
Suggested Readings on Virginia History
Supreme Court of Virginia Records and Briefs Database
Tazewell County Public Library Photographs (digital collection)
The Engraver's Art: Newspaper Mastheads
Travel Brochures Digital Collection
Universal Class
Virginia Capitol: An American Architectural Milestone
Virginia Cavalcade
Virginia Chronicle (digital collection)
Virginia City Directories at the Library of Virginia
Virginia Czech and Slovak Folklife Festival (digital collection)
Virginia Historical Inventory (digital collection)
Virginia Legislature Photograph Collection (digital collection)
Virginia State Documents
Virginia Yearbooks Digital Project
Vital Records (Virginia) and Ancestry.com
Vital Statistics Records, Using
War of 1812 Pay Rolls and Muster Rolls, Index to
Waynesboro Public Library Photographs (digital collection)
West Virginia Records at the Library of Virginia
Willis M. Carter Digital Collection
Wills and Administrations, Index to
Women and the First World War, Virginia
Women and the Second World War, Virginia
Women's History Resources in the Archives of the Library of Virginia, Using
World War I History Commission Questionnaires (digital collection)
World War I Poster Collection (digital collection)
World War I, Virginia’s Participation in
World War II Poster Collection (digital collection)
WPA Historical Houses Drawings Digital Collection
WPA Life Histories Collection (digital collection)
WRVA Radio Collection

The catalog allows you to search our print, manuscript, and archival collections.

Virginia Memory is the new home of the Library's digital collections.

Register for a Library Account online.
Additional Resources
What's New in the Collections highlights newly accessioned, recently processed, and notable materials added to the Library's collections.
Find It Virginia offers full text access to a variety of magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, and other reference works. Requires use of a valid library card from a Virginia public library.
Virginia Public Library Directory
Historical and Genealogical Societies in Virginia
Virginia Heritage Project database of finding aids to manuscript and archival collections housed at a variety of Virginia institutions.
Professional researchers specializing in Virginia history and use of the Library's collections.