The Writer - 04.2020

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RESEARCH LINKS

TO GET YOU

STARTED

Library of

Congress:

loc.gov/rr

National Archives:

archives.gov/

research

Smithsonian

Institution:

si.edu/researchers

U.S. National

Library of

Medicine:

nlm.nih.gov

Biodiversity

Heritage Library:

biodiversitylibrary.org

National Gallery

of Art:

nga.gov/research

HathiTrust Digital

Library:

hathitrust.org

“I never get over

the fact that so

many historic

documents and

materials have

been preserved

and are accessible

to the public.”

a real public service responsibility to

serve people beyond those who visit,”

says Mattie M. Schloetzer, program

administrator for internships and fel-

lowships at the National Gallery of Art.

Almost 70% of its images collection

can be accessed online, which includes

more than 51,000 open-access digital

images that are available free of charge

for download and use. There may be

fees for special archives services, such

as new photography or digital copying.

Appointments are required for those

who want to research onsite.

There are some unexpected hold-

ings that you can explore. For example,

when famous people visit the Gallery,

it’s well documented in its archives –

from invitations to thank you notes.

“We have correspondence and docu-

mentation from when Jacqueline Ken-

nedy visited,” says Schloetzer. “It’s

really fun stuff and easy to get lost in

the material.”

Libraries are also housed at such

museums as the U.S. National Holo-

caust Memorial Museum and National

Museum of Women in the Arts. There

are even fully online resources, such as

the HathiTrust Digital Library – a non-

profit collaborative of academic and

research libraries that steward more

than 17 million digitized items. “You

should check that regularly,” says

Gibbs. “That will tell you what libraries

have your book.”

“I never get over the fact that so

many historic documents and materi-

als have been preserved and are acces-

sible to the public,” says Reilly. “And

most of the time, it’s for free.” The

downside to that volume is it can be

challenging to find the documents

you’re seeking. “Oftentimes, conduct-

ing historical research is like looking

for a needle in a haystack,” she says.

“But typically, the needle is there, if

you spend the time learning how to

look for it.” National institutions are

trusted sources and here to help.

Jennifer L. Blanck is a freelance writer whose

writing has recently appeared in Craftbeer.com,

Toastmaster, Whole Grain, and Wine Tourism

Management and Marketing. You can find her

on Twitter and Instagram @JLBlanck.

National Gallery of Art

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