Browse Institutions

The California Academy of Sciences is a world-class scientific and cultural institution based in San Francisco. The Academy Archives collects, preserves, and interprets records of the work done by the California Academy of Sciences, the history of science in the American West, and the research of scientists throughout the Pacific Rim. Our collections include over 70,000 digital images, 100,000 prints and negatives, 3,000 reels of film, significant natural history illustrations and paintings, manuscripts and assorted text, and a small (but growing) collection of software and other digital records. From the handwritten minutes of the first meeting of the Academy in April 1853 to backups of the Academy’s Twitter feed, the Academy Archives is the institutional memory of the California Academy of Sciences.

The California Academy of Sciences’ digital collection at California Revealed consists of moving image and audio recordings from the 1940s to the 2000s. The majority of the collection consists of educational videos on life sciences, including many complete episodes of the television program Science in Action hosted by Earl Stannard Herald. Also included are oral histories and documentary footage of Hik-A-Nation, a 1980 cross-country hike organized to draw attention to the state of America’s hiking trails.

California Botanic Garden is the largest botanic garden dedicated to California native plants, promoting botany, conservation and horticulture to inspire, inform and educate the public and scientific community about California's native flora. The Garden is a living museum with curated collections of more than 22,000 California native plants, some of which are rare or endangered.  

The California Botanic Garden’s digital collection at California Revealed consists of moving images, still images, and text materials from the 1920s to the 1990s. The collection includes historical leaflets and lectures on California horticulture, as well as images and maps documenting the development of the California Botanic Garden.

The Caltrans Transportation Library holds a selection of historical materials that include documents, photographs, maps, and objects that document the road and bridge history of the Department.

The Caltrans Transportation Library's digital collection at California Revealed contains two oral history series and a short series of early biennial and annual reports produced when the Department of Transportation was known respectively as the Department of Highways then the Division of Highways within the Department of Public Works.

Oral Histories

The Highway Recollection series consists of tape recordings and transcripts of interviews of retired engineers, highway maintenance workers, administrators, and other personnel. Participants share their insights on past highway development and changes within the Department. The oral history tapes were produced by Department volunteers, Caltrans History Preservation Committee and District 3 history committee members in the late 1970’s. Twenty-one interviews are included in the series.

The Loma Prieta series was developed by District 4 administration in the wake of the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The professional and personal experiences of 258 Caltrans employees who worked to restore the State’s damaged transportation system in the earthquake’s aftermath were documented. The oral recording project was quickly organized and completed within three months while memories were fresh. The interviews are informal and of varying lengths. The participants were selected from a cross section of jobs and geographic areas to better illustrate the size and scope of the disaster.

Early Reports on California highway development

Biennial reports (1895-1906) issued to the governor by the Department of Highways in California and another group of annual reports (1948-1960) issued by Division of Highways within the Department of Public Works. These reports provide an overview on highway development in California.

Also included is a 1925 Study of the State Highway system in California and the first biennial report (1922) when the Department became the Division of Highways within the Department of Public Works.

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Archives was formally established in 1968 to serve as the collective memory of the California Institute of Technology. Our mission is to preserve and make accessible the institutional records, personal papers, documents, artifacts and pictorial materials that tell the school's history.

The California Institute of Technology Archives’ digital collection at California Revealed consists of moving images, audio recordings, still images, and text materials from the 1920s through the early 2000s. The collection includes complete episodes of AirTalk, a daily talk show in Southern California; recordings of the Earnest C. Watson Caltech Lecture Series; and footage of the Hale telescope, Albert Einstein, and other related subjects.

The California Nursery Company – Roeding Collection preserves the history of the California Nursery Company in a museum and historical park in Fremont, California.  

The California Nursery Company - Roeding Collection’s digital collection at California Revealed consists of moving images and text materials from the 1920 through 1960s. The collection primarily consists of richly illustrated garden catalogs and planting guides, written in both English and Spanish, as well as the Roeding family’s home movies and footage of garden shows.