The York County History Center Library and Archives is now open!
In order to maintain proper capacity numbers and social distancing, online reservations (for Members and General Public) will be required to access the Library and Archives. You may choose from 1/2 day or full day options. First time visitors should contact us before scheduling so that we can assist you with planning your visit. Please call 717-848-1587 x 223 or email Adam Bentz at abentz@yorkhistorycenter.org. Thank you
Please review Library Rules & Policies before your visit. Please only bring what you need for research into the Library. Lockers are available for bags, purses and other personal items. We allow pencils, papers, notebooks and folders. We encourage you to bring a personal laptop since there are a limited number of public computers available. Cell phone photography of documents and books is also allowed.
Library & Archives News:
Dec 2020 – Guides to World War I and II Collections
For searchable guides on World War I and II collections in the History Center Library & Archives, see the Military Research page of this website.
The York Dispatch is now digital!
Through a partnership with Gannet and Newspapers.com, The York Dispatch newspaper is available digitally at the York County History Center. Visitors will now be able to keyword search the newspaper, spanning 1876 through 2012, on their own device or on the History Center’s public computers.
The York Gazette and York Daily Record are now digital!
The wait is over! Through a partnership with Gannet and Newspapers.com, the York Gazette and Daily Record newspapers are available digitally at the York County History Center. Visitors to the library will now be able to keyword search York newspapers spanning 1815 through 2009 for the first time.
African American Collections
There is a new regularly-updated guide to African American collections at the History Center on this website. See Special Collections and Finding Aids.
2018 was the last year for the Book Blast book sale. Thank you for supporting this fundraiser over the years!
In our Reading Room, we offer extensive collections of family genealogies; books on local, state and regional history, with a focus on York County history; York City and County directories; York County high school yearbooks; historical atlases and maps; and local and regional periodicals and newsletters covering a wide range of topics. The York County History Center’s Library & Archives is also one of the only repositories in Pennsylvania that offers the two major York newspapers and their predecessors on microfilm. For more information about the York County History Center’s holdings, please see our list of the Library & Archives Resources.
All library users, whether members or not, have on-site access to the Library Edition of Ancestry.com. Included with this subscription is Fold3 and Newspapers.com/Pennsylvania Edition. Fold3 provides access to US military records and Newspapers.com/Pennsylvania edition provides access to the growing number of digitized newspapers, which now include portions of the Delta Herald and the Gazette & Daily (now known as the York Daily Record).
We annually host visitors from all 50 states across the country, as well as several other countries. Visitors receive assistance in using the collection from well-trained staff and volunteers.
