InfoGuides: Baton Rouge Room: Home

Baton Rouge Digital Archive

To visit the Baton Rouge Digital Archive click the icon above.

Baton Rouge Room Catalog

Click the icon to search the Baton Rouge Room Catalog for archival collections.

Archives Sites

Baton Rouge Digital Archive
This digital collection reflects a selection of images, oral histories and documents from various collections in the Baton Rouge Room Archives.
The Advocate and Times Picayune Historical Archive
*You must have a valid East Baton Rouge Parish Library card to access this database*. Here you will find full scans of Baton Rouge Newspapers dating from 1842 to the present and the New Orleans Times Picayune dating from 1832 to 1989 ( text only from 1990 to the present).
Fire Insurance Maps Online
*Note: You must have a library card to access this database.* This database contains Sanborn Maps for municipalities across the United States. Date ranges run from the late 1800's to the middle of the 20th Century.
The Gris Gris Digital Archive
The Gris Gris was a local interest magazine that covered a broad range of topics running from approximately 1973 to 1979 (with two unsuccessful revival attempts in the 1980's). Politics, fashion, the Arts, and social trends in Baton Rouge were explored in depth in this magazine.
Baton Rouge Historical Maps from eBRGIS
Overlay current maps with historical maps of Baton Rouge to see how the city has changed over time.

Historic Maps From Louisiana State Office of Lands
Un-indexed collection of Louisiana Historical Maps from the Louisiana State Land Office. The date range of these covers the 19th and 20th centuries.

Dirt Fort Site of The Fort of Baton Rouge
Information about the dirt fort site for the Fort of Baton Rouge ca. 1784.
Baton Rouge Street Car Maps 1890-1936
The first streetcars were pulled by mules imported from McKinney, Texas. The opening ceremony was on 16 October 1890 (125 years ago). By 1892, there were 6 cars, 26 mules, and 1 horse. The system was soon electrified. A large crowd gathered at Main and Lafayette on 6 April 1893 as a silver spike was driven in the ground with a golden hammer. A bottle of champagne was smashed on the spike, and three electric cars roared away.
The Green Book
Digital copies of The Green Book made available by the New York Public Library.
Digital Black History
Database containing links and descriptions to digital black history projects (National).

Monumental -- Oscar Dunn -- book talk June 21, 2023

Click to open flyer

Illustrated History of Baton Rouge

Illustrated History of Baton Rouge

Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana -- Wednesday, June 21 at 6:00 PM -- Main Library at Goodwood

Come meet the authors of Monumental: Oscar Dunn and his Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana, a new graphic novel/history.

This biography of Oscar Dunn was created and produced with the help of a visual artist as a graphic novel.

Brian K. Mitchell and Nick Weldon will discuss the life of Oscar Dunn and the newly discovered primary sources that presents an iconic American life that never should have been forgotten.

This program is presented by the Special Collections Lecture Series. We Love History!

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 6:00 PM

Main Library at Goodwood -- For more information, call the Special Collections Department: 225.231.3751

Genealogy

The Special Collections Department includes the Baton Rouge Room Archive and the Genealogy Collection.

For more information about the Genealogy Collection please visit the Genealogy Infoguide.

Baton Rouge Room Policies and Procedures

Baton Rouge Room Patron Use Policy
Special Collections Policies
The Baton Rouge Room Collection Development policies, patron use policies and forms are found in this document.

EBRPL Web Archive Collection Development Policy

Course Slides

Personal Digital Archiving for Beginners
Class created 2019
Archival Databases
Course created January 2020

The Baton Rouge Room Archive

The mission of the Baton Rouge Room Collection is collect, manage, preserve, and provide access to, items that represent significant historical actions of local governments, businesses, residents and institutions of the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. These items include but are not limited to photographs, manuscripts, documents, periodical publications, audiotapes and memorabilia.

Located on the 2nd Floor of the Main Library located at 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Baton Rouge, La. The Baton Rouge Room is open 9am to 8:45 pm Monday through Thursday, 9am to 5:45 pm Friday and Saturday, and 2pm to 8:45 pm Sunday. (Please note, all archival materials will be recalled 30 minutes before closing).

Please call 225-231-3752 for more information.