​​Pennsylvania History Guide

The State Library holds an extensive collection of materials for researching Pennsylvania history – whether it is for a local area, county or a notable Pennsylvanian.  The first stop would be a quick search of the State Library's online catalog.

Pennsylvania Newspapers represent a wonderful resource for local history and our collections reach back into the 18th century.  

Digital Collections for Pennsylvania History

Through the efforts of educational and historical institutions in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania history is becoming available on the Internet. The sites on this page lead to digital records, photographs, histories and scholarly articles.

Pennsylvania State Documents

The State Library has been a collector of Pennsylvania Government documents from the beginning of its history. The State Library under a Governor's mandate collects those documents that are for the general public. This includes reports, magazines, educational materials, brochures and a whole host of other types of printed materials. As the world becomes more and more an electronic repository, links to the electronic versions of these documents are available by looking in the State Library's online catalog.