library and archives

The Research Library is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (from October 3, 2019 through March 31, 2020)
Sunday and Monday Closed

Library & Archives News:

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.

 

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.

Volunteer Opportunities

 

library

First time visitor?

Because the archives house primarily rare and one-of-a-kind materials, using archival collections can be very different from using other libraries. First time visitors are strongly encouraged to review our Library Rules and Policies. Your gracious cooperation with these policies will help us protect our collections for many, many generations to come.

 

Visiting the library

Admissions, daily rates, and hours

Patrons are encouraged to visit and make use of the Library & Archives resources in genealogy, local history and other historical topics. No appointment is needed to use the Library. For more about our Research by mail service, please follow the link below.

Get Directions
Hours
  • Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Thursday 12 - 5 (from October 3, 2019 through March 31, 2020)
  • Sunday – Monday Closed
Admission Rates
  • Non-Members: $8.00/day
  • Members: Free
  • York County K-12 Students: Free
  • York College & Penn State York Students (with ID): Free

Our Collections

The Library & Archives is located on the first floor rear of The Historical Society Museum at 250 East Market Street, York, Pennsylvania. These materials are accessible to the public through various catalogs and indexes located in the reference area. Trained volunteers, with the support of Library staff, are available to assist patrons in using the collection.

We encourage you to visit the History Center to further your genealogical and local history research. For those unable to do so, we provide several research opportunities that can be ordered online or by mail for a modest fee, payable in advance and non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the search.

Learn about our research by mail service