The Center for Brooklyn History makes its collections available to all researchers.
We welcome scholars, teachers and students, genealogists, artists, documentarians, and anyone who is curious about the history of Brooklyn.
Several collections are stored offsite and require a minimum of two weeks notice to use. To view the full list click here
While we work to merge our two institutions' collections, the links below will direct you to our respective holdings.
Photographs
Browse Brooklyn Public Library's Photograph collections. Collections originally held by Brooklyn Historical Society, can be found here.
Archives and Special Collections
The archival collections document the history of Brooklyn and Long Island from the 1600s to the present.
Oral Histories
Our oral history collections include over 1,200 interviews. Brooklyn Public Library's Our Streets Our Stories can be found here.
Maps
Explore digitized historical maps spanning the seventeenth century to the present. Brooklyn Public Library's map collections can be found here.
Film, Audio and Video Recordings
Explore our digitized film, audio and video recordings.
Art and Artifacts
CBH's art and artifact collections represent four centuries of Brooklyn’s visual and material culture. A selection are available to search online.
Newspapers: Brooklyn Newsstand
Explore our collection of local Brooklyn titles and high school newspapers.
Brooklynology Blog and Photo of the Week
Fascinating Brooklyn stories rooted in the collections at CBH.
Online Resources
Ancestry.com
Search historical records to discover your family's history.
Brooklyn Newsstand
Brooklyn Newsstand is a collection of digitized Brooklyn newspapers made possible through a partnership…