Public Humanities

Searchable interface from the Rhode Island Historical Society with full text downloads from 1942 to two years ago. Also searchable through America: History and Life database.

Journal of the Rhode Island Historical Society, this is indexed in the America: History & Life database. The Brown Library has print copies of this journal.

Earlier title for the journal of the Rhode Island Historical Society. Print volumes are located in the Brown Library collections.

"Provides users with online mapping capability and access to published municipal data sets (including, but not limited to, zoning, parcels and building footprints)." Also includes he Providence GIS Map Gallery, an archive collection of maps including zoning, parcel and historic.

The state's central repository for GIS data and maps. Includes vector files, air photos, LIDAR, DEMS, and topographic base maps.

The office registers documents relating to land evidence, such as deeds, for the city of Providence. Some records available online. For other Rhode Island cities, search for similar offices online.

The site includes state library and archive resources.

Search across archival collections, digital materials and more.

State agency for historical preservation and heritage programs.

The nation's first federal preservation program, administered by the National Parks Service. Great source for information and plans of historic buildings.

"The official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation."

Updated, online version of the guide originally published in 2003 by the Providence Preservation Society and the American Institute of Architects, Rhode Island Chapter. Written by William Mack Woodward.

Providence Preservation Society database of information about selected historic houses in the city.

Resource for all of Rhode Island's history, not just architecture.

Society for the preservation of historical materials relating to African Americans in Rhode Island, including paintings and other artworks.

Local organization dedicated to the preservation of Rhode Island historical architecture.

Important resource for Providence historical architecture, founded in 1956 to prevent demolition on College Hill.

Guide to Providence Public Library's Special and Historical Collections

The library has a Rhode Island Room with many resources relating to Rhode Island history and architecture. This includes a subject file in card form to the Providence Journal where one may research topics from past years that haven't yet been indexed. Art/Archives Open Hours take place every Tuesday from 10:30-1:00, for all interested in visual research.

Contains material related to many different aspects of Rhode Island life and history, including newspaper index for older editions of the Providence Journal.

Includes 5000 images of Rhode Island history, including architecture and postcards, which may be freely downloaded.

Continually growing Flickr site featuring historic photos, maps, and yearbooks from the city of Pawtucket.

"Our collection currently contains more than 100,000 works of art and design dating from ancient times to today. Of these objects, 1,997 of them are on view in the museum now. 13,662 of them are available online." Publicly available.

Presented by the Library of Congress. Documents the ethnic, regional, and occupational traditions of Rhode Island in photographs, ephemera, manuscripts, and sound recordings, collected in 1979.

Allows full text searching and reproduces images of articles as they originally appeared.

Searchable full text articles but not images of the original newspaper.

Searchable full text articles but not images of the original newspaper.

List of searchable full text newspapers available largely through Google News.

List of digitized historical newspapers from the state of Rhode Island, covering the 18th through 20th centuries. Enter "Rhode Island" in the search box to see the list of titles.

Searchable database from the Pawtucket Public Library. Currently covers the years 1886-1951.

Founded in 1880 "to stimulate the appreciation of art in the community." Includes a searchable database of the club's exhibition catalogs, where one can research local artist.

Founded in 1947 "to study and promote interest in pottery and porcelain." The club's records are archived in the John Hay Library.

"The Providence Foundation is a private sector, not-for-profit organization. It is supported by 140 of the leading companies and institutions in Rhode Island. The Foundation has been working for 40 years to revitalize downtown Providence and create a success story that will provide long term economic and social benefits to the citizens of Rhode Island."

A non-scholarly website about Rhode Island industrial architecture.

Subject guide created by University Archives, relating to resources for the architecture of Brown.

Collaborative Architecture, Urbanism, and Sustainability Web Archive. Includes many Rhode Island websites.

Not a scholarly but of interest for local information.

Compiled by librarian Karen Bouchard, includes many more Rhode Island resources having to do local with arts, architecture, and history.