Asian American Studies

Special Collections is a treasure trove of primary sources covering a wide range of formats and time periods. Visit the Special Collections homepage to search and discover materials. Contact Special Collections for additional guidance.

University of California freely available digitized archive of California History. Includes all types of primary source materials including images. This is an example of a collection that is part of the Online Archive of California.

The Freedom Archives contains over 10,000 hours of audio and video tapes which date from the late-1960s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements.

"American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience."

The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 200 contributing institutions including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and collections maintained by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses.

A professional digital archive of Asian/Asian American contemporary visual artists.

"Densho's mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all."

"The documentary record of the Korean experience in America remains dispersed and difficult to access. The Korean American Digital Archive brings more than 13,000 pages of documents, over 1,900 photographs, and about 180 sound files together in one searchable collection." Courtesy of the University of Southern California.

"The South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) collection... reflects the vast range of experiences of the South Asian diaspora in the United States, including those who trace their heritage to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the many South Asian diaspora communities across the globe."

Created in 2011, the Vietnamese American Oral History Project (VAOHP) assembles, preserves, and disseminates the diverse life stories of Vietnamese Americans in Southern California for future generations.