Beginning in 1990, the Cornell Library initiated an ambitious early attempt to create digital surrogates for materials that were rapidly deteriorating and becoming brittle. Utilizing prototype equipment developed in tandem with Xerox, the materials were scanned and placed online. Currently, the materials available include 441 entire monographs, totaling 159,961 pages. The search engine located on...

As with other countries, the United States is very much a "work in progress". Of course, the nation's founders made a concerted effort to form a republic that would be able to govern effectively across a large geographic region and a plethora of different cultural traditions. This thoughtful and introspective online exhibit from the Library of Congress brings together a set of interactive...

The David Rumsey Map Collection, which is provided by Cartography Associates, "contains to date over 7,180 maps online and focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South America cartographic history materials." The vast material provided for viewing and printing for personal use includes atlases, globes, books, maritime charts, and a great deal more. Because of the large number of pieces,...

Located in Dover, the Delaware Public Archives is the state's official repository for all types of government and state agency documents, including many from Delaware's days as a British colony. While there is plenty of information on their interaction with state and federal agencies, most visitors will want to take a look at their online finding aids to the Archives holdings and their online...

Compiled and prepared by approximately 20 historians and editors at the Office of the Historian in the US Department of State, the The Foreign Relations of the United States series is "the official documentary historical record of major US foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity." The series initially began in 1861 and now comprises over 350 volumes, but more recent volumes...

Documenting "the struggle between Britain and America for the ownership of the region, and the further development of one of the last frontiers on the continent" is one of the primary goals of this digital collection of maps relating the history and development of the area that eventually would become Washington state. Created by a partnership between the University of Washington and Washington...

University of Georgia historians Claudio Saunt and Stephen Berry founded eHistory "in the belief that new technologies make possible a new kind of research in the humanities, one in which students, scholars, and a broader public are full partners and collaborators." Similar to "citizen scientist" websites like zooniverse.org, eHistory seeks to "crowd-source" history research. On the website,...

eHistory has been around in one form or another since 1995, when it was created by the budding historian Scott Laidig. These days, eHistory is operated and maintained by The Ohio State University's history department. Dedicated to all things historical, the site contains primary sources and documents, original book reviews, digitized books, maps, and multimedia features. These multimedia features...

The passage of the Land Ordinance of 1785 created the rectangular survey system for the mapping and subsequent sale of the western public lands of the United States. In 1803, the first survey of the lands, which would later become the state of Illinois, began. After moving northwards from southern Illinois in 1806, the federal surveyors finished surveying the last townships in 1843, but for four...

The Foreign Relations of the United States series is "the official documentary historical record of major US foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity." The series initially began in 1861 and now comprises over 350 volumes. Many volumes published since 1945 are available online from the State Department (see the January 21, 2000 Scout Report), and users can now read the full...