Current Projects

When we are not answering your questions or preparing programs, the staff in the California History Room spend our time working to improve your access to the History Room collections, care for the collections, add materials documenting California’s history, and generally convey the richness and diversity of California’s past. Check out what projects we and some of our Library colleagues are working on! If you have any questions about these projects or our collections please feel free to contact us.

In a black and white photo, an empty park bench sites across a walking path from an empty swingset. No people are visible.

California COVID Diaries

The California State Library is working with local libraries to collect COVID-19 stories from across the state. We invite you to share your experience — so that we can preserve these memories for future Californians.

On a city street filled with people holding signs and banners, a man in a white t-shirt holds a rainbow flag in the air.

CAL@170

The California State Library is presenting Cal@170, a collection of 170 stories commemorating California’s 170 years of statehood. The aim is to offer examples of California’s unique character and that of its residents, past and present. That means among the good there will be some bad. For every success story, there’s a failure, a tragedy, an injustice. It’s from these mistakes that we learn and grow stronger together. For more information and to share a story, visit Cal@170.

Close-up of poster that reads: Exposition, Grounds, San Diego, California. Monster free program! Dare Devil Woman in a sensational double parachute jump from an aeroplane -- 3000 feet in the air!

Broadside Card File Project

The History Room has a large poster collection that few people know about because the only records for it are in an old card-file. While we started transcribing our poster card file before the pandemic, we have been able to make real progress during quarantine. Many of these posters are still under copyright, so we cannot post images online, but if you want a copy for personal use, please contact us!

Photo of a form labeled License to Mine and filled out by hand.

Manuscript Finding Aid Project

During quarantine, we tackled the gargantuan task of transcribing all of our typewritten finding aids so that you can get a better sense of each collection and request materials from home. While they aren’t all available yet, you can see our progress in our catalog. If you want more information about the contents of a specific file in these collections, please contact us!