Founded in 1822, the Rhode Island Historical Society is the fourth-oldest state historical society in the United States. The Society has the largest and most important historical collections in existence relating to Rhode Island.
These collections include 25,000 museum objects, over 100,000 printed books, 110,000 photographs, 3,400 sound recordings (including oral histories and music), 9 million feet of moving picture film, over 1,100 manuscript collections (measuring over 7,000 linear feet), 3,400 maps, 20,000 prints, 16,000 pieces of ephemera, 15,000 architectural drawings, and several smaller, miscellaneous categories of historical holdings. These collections grow every year, due to gifts and purchases.
Check out Introduction to Resources in the Library for more information. Search NETOP our online catalog.
Before you visit the Library you may want to view these pages about our policies and procedures:
Hours and Paging Schedule
Library Policies
Photocopy Policy, Using Microfilm and Public Computers
Rights & Reproductions
Dining, Lodging and Transportation
The library is located at 121 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906. Exact driving directions from your location can be obtained at Mapquest.com or Google Maps.
For Research Center and Museum Questions, please contact reference@rihs.org or 401.273.8107 x410.
