Many universities, libraries, and museums have wonderful digital collections that can be viewed online. Please see the links below to explore what these institutions have to offer. If you are looking for materials other than what are listed here, feel free to contact the curator for more information.
Collections by Institution
The British Library
The British Library’s Digital Collection includes digitized copies of famous works from British literature, maps, and manuscripts.
Harvard University
Harvard’s Digital Collection spans their holdings in maps, fine arts, and rare books.
The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress’s Digital Collection incentivizes digitizing high value items to disseminate the material as well as preserve their condition. Their online collection includes documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, printed ephemera, and many more!
The Library of Congress also has a Guide to the American Revolution in their Digital Collections, consisting of many digitized primary sources.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met’s Digital Collection includes fine bindings, rare art in the Met’s libraries, Costume Institute Collections, Japanese Illustrated Books, and their Manuscript Collection.
The Morgan Library and Museum
The Morgon Library’s Digital Collection includes drawings, musical manuscripts, paintings, prints, and medieval and renaissance manuscripts including the Gutenberg Bible and the Morgan Crusader Bible.
University of Michigan
University of Michigan’s Collection consists of African American History, 20th Century American Poetry, Shakespeare’s first folio and quartos, and many more.
Western Michigan University
WMU’s Special Collections has digitized their medieval document collection, as well as others for viewing online.