Immigration History Research Center Archives

The Immigration History Research Center Archives (IHRCA, or IHRC Archives) is an archives and library for the study of immigration, ethnicity, and race. We select sources documenting a broad range of immigrant and refugee experiences, and strive to connect archives to today’s experiences.

Welcome

We are part of the Migration and Social Services Collections in Archives & Special Collections (ASC) in the University of Minnesota Libraries. We also work closely with our colleagues in the Immigration History Research Center in the College of Liberal Arts.

Our collections' strengths are first and second generation immigrants and displaced persons who came to the USA from central, eastern, and southern Europe; the eastern Mediterranean (formerly called the “Near East” region of the Middle East and North Africa); and late-20th and early-21st century immigrants and refugees. Our collections vary from print to manuscript to born digital. They include personal papers as well as organizational records of ethnic and immigrant-formed groups, and of social service providers.

We are open to the public and we welcome you to contact us. Let us know how we can help you through our distance and virtual services.

Connecting the past to today’s experiences, we also engage with academic and community-based projects, including community archiving, digital projects, exhibits, lectures and symposia.

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Serials (annuals, newspapers, newsletters, and other periodicals)

Our serials consist of annuals, newspapers, newsletters, and other periodicals, and were largely published by immigrants living in the US or Canada. Most were published in the 20th century, and many are in global languages, and/or bilingual.

The majority of our serials are not searchable in the Libraries catalog. Instead, they are available in a spreadsheet organized alphabetically by identity group. Identity groupings are legacy terms, and may overlap with other groups' sheets. 

Cataloged serials are searchable using the drop down search box above ("Libraries catalog").

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Explore the Immigration History Research Center Archives

Traditionally dressed dancers posing while looking at each other.

About us

Learn more about the history of the Immigration History Center Archives, as well as the types of materials we collect.

Finnish farmers with a horse drawn hay baler.

Digital exhibits

View curated digital collections utilizing materials from IHRCA.

A handwritten letter from the archives

Digitizing Immigrant Letters

This project connects digitized letters from the IHRCA and other collections written between 1850-1970, both by immigrants (“America letters”) and to immigrants (“homeland letters”).

A woman in a parade dressed in traditional Mexican garb waves a flag from a convertible.

Fund your research

Information on funding and grants to support research at the Immigration History Research Center Archives.

Handmade signs about immigration law

Topical guides

Topical guides are lists of recommended resources curated by staff with subject-specific knowledge.

Three Hmong women in a refugee camp

Primary Sourcery blog

Primary Sourcery is the blog for the Archives and Special Collections at University of Minnesota Libraries. Read IHRCA's contributions.

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Visit

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Note: Appointments are required to visit the reading room within these hours.
More Andersen Library hours

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Give to the collection

We welcome your financial support! Your gift to our fund will help us continue our work of leadership and outreach in the area of archival work regarding im/migration and refugee archives, and to preserve, process, and digitize the material we provide access to.

Give to the collection

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