Finding Aids Database

Welcome to the Maryland Center for History and Culture’s Finding Aids database. Use this database to search for and explore the unique materials in our H. Furlong Baldwin Library’s Special Collections Department, from manuscripts and photographs to ephemera, oral histories, maps, broadsides, and more. To find books and other published materials, turn to our library catalog.

About

What’s a finding aid?

A finding aid is a guide to a collection. Finding aids are created to help you determine whether a collection is relevant to your research, and to assist you in locating material within the collection. Finding aids typically consist of contextual information and an inventory for the contents of the collection.

Using this database

Use the search box to conduct keyword searches for people, places, or topics. You can also use the menu bar to browse collections, subjects, and more. When you find a collection that interests you, make sure to click “Expand All” to see all of the descriptive information about that collection. The “Collection organization” area on the right-hand side of most records can help you locate relevant items.

Questions and more

To search for materials in our broader H. Furlong Baldwin Library (Special Collections materials as well as published books, pamphlets, and more in our Main Reading Room collection), visit our library catalog.

To view our growing collection of digitized materials, visit our Digital Collections online.

For more information about library materials, contact specialcollections@mdhistory.org.