If you're searching in Massachusetts, this might be interesting. I found it in the e-mail newsletter of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This is *all* I know about this resource. For more info, pls contact the appropriate web site or NEHGS. --------------------------- Spotlight on Library Websites, Part Three Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/ Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections http://www.mlin.org/books/manuscripts/index.php In the course of exploring the Peabody Essex Museum website, I found a link to the site of The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. When I clicked on the link, I was directed to a page containing The Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections Directory, which is a guide to collections located in Massachusetts libraries (public and private), archives, historical societies, and town clerk's offices. The directory provides "one-stop-shopping" access to information about the collections found in more than 650 repositories in Massachusetts. You can search for collections by town/location, institution, repository, special collections department, and collection description, as well as by name and/or subject. The results of a search by town will bring up a list of all repositories in that location. A search by name or by subject will result in a list of repositories throughout the state with relevant holdings. Click on the check box and then on the view button to access a summary of the holdings of a particular repository. In addition to the collection description, the directory also provides other useful information about the institution. You will also find contact information, a list of the services available, and levels of access to the collections, as well as directions to the repository. There are generally links to an institution's catalog and, in some cases, to finding aids for specific collections. Exploring the MBLC website further, I also found links to a number of digital collections around the state. The link to access the Digital Collections page is located on the drop down menu under the Find Books & Magazines Online tab. This is also were you will find the link to the Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections link if you enter the MBLC site via the homepage. From there you can access the Watertown Free Public Library's Historic Map Collection, the Massachusetts State Library's Alexander Parris Project, and the SAILS' Community Treasury (Hanson, Middleborough, Rochester), among others. From the SAILS' Community Treasury page you can access the digital collections of a number of institutions. These collections include the Keeley Library - Fall River Local History Slides, the New Bedford Free Public Library Whaling Collection Archives, West Bridgewater - Post Card Collections, the historical collections of Hanson Public Library, Massachusetts; the Middleboro Cranberry Collection, and the Rochester Community-Wide Historic and Architectural Survey 1997-1998. These are useful resources for anyone pursuing historical research on a Massachusetts-related topic. Visit the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners website at http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/. -- --- Richard A. Danca, Newton, MA mailto:rdanca@ix.netcom.com ----