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The LGBT Community Center National History Archive is a community-based archive that collects, preserves, and makes available to the public the documentation of LGBTQ+ lives and organizations centered in and around New York. Through our collections, we enable the stories and experiences of New York’s LGBTQ+ people to be told with historical depth and understanding.
The Center Archive is open to all researchers, by appointment. Collections are stored offsite, so research appointments must be made in advance.
All are welcome, and no fees are charged. Find out more by starting a research request.
Rights and reproductions services are very limited. See below for more information.
Materials in the collections run from as early as 1878 to the present day, and are made up of a variety of media, including paper, scrapbooks, photographs, audio and video recordings, pamphlets and printed materials, posters and born-digital records. Holdings consist of personal papers created by individuals and records of organizations, periodicals, organization files and The Center's organizational records.
The Center Archive’s focus is on managing collections and providing access to collections for research purposes. With one archivist on staff, reproduction/licensing services are currently very limited: non-commercial and DIY requests will be prioritized as capacity allows. Please note that requests with less than two weeks notice cannot be accommodated.
If you are working with a short timeline (e.g., 1 - 2 months), you can review digitized material available online. If your timeline is longer and you are intending to conduct onsite research to identify materials for use, learn about the research process before reaching out.
Review this form and if you agree to the terms, reach out to [email protected]. We’re unable to sign external forms or make changes to these terms. Expect 5 - 10 business days for a first response.
Thank you in advance for meeting us with understanding instead of urgency in this moment.
The Center has played a tremendous role in the nurturing and growth of the LGBTQ+ community in NYC. View our interactive timeline to get a glimpse of how we have supported the happiness and health of our community since 1983.
View Interactive Timeline