Research Resources

The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate provides practical guidance for preserving family photographs, documents, books, scrapbooks, maps, and other heirlooms. The website includes answers to frequently asked questions, preventive preservation techniques, storage and handling recommendations, emergency recovery information, and other resources to help protect family treasures from damage and deterioration.

Stephen P. Morse's One-Step Webpages provide hundreds of free search tools that simplify access to genealogy databases and historical records. Researchers can search passenger lists, census records, vital records, city directories, maps, and other resources using powerful search options that often exceed those available on the original websites. The tools work with records from FamilySearch, Ellis Island, Castle Garden, the U.S. National Archives, and many other genealogy websites, making it easier to locate difficult-to-find ancestors.

"Learn About Surname Meanings and Origins" explains how hereditary surnames developed and the four major sources of many family names: patronymic (from a parent's given name), occupational, descriptive, and geographic or local surnames. The article also discusses how surname spellings changed over time and why researching earlier generations is important when determining a surname's origin and meaning.

World War History: Newspaper Clippings, 1914–1926 is a free digital collection from the Library of Congress containing nearly 80,000 pages of newspaper clippings documenting World War I and its aftermath. The collection covers events from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 through the postwar years and includes news articles, editorials, photographs, maps, political cartoons, and feature stories from American and foreign newspapers. It provides valuable insight into the political, social, cultural, and economic impact of the war as it unfolded.