Welcome to California State Library
State Library Public Reading Rooms Open at 10:30 am on Thursday, February 25

About the California History Section

The California History Section holds a major collection of documents from and about California's rich history. The documents range from books, maps, newspapers, and periodicals, to pictorial materials (including daguerreotypes, lithographs, stereographs, and paintings) and ephemera (such as posters, programs, pamphlets, and sheet music). Researchers of all types—authors, historians, reporters, legislators, filmmakers, genealogists, historic preservationists, graduate students, teachers, and California citizens—visit the California History Room to use these resources. All are welcome!

California, the Cornucopia of the World. Cover of an 1885 promotional book prepared by the California Immigration Commission.