Founded in 1952, the ONE Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries in Los Angeles is the oldest continuously-operating LGBTQ organization in the United States and the largest archive in the world dedicated to collecting and preserving LGBTQ materials. Our collection comprises over 33,000 volumes of books and monographs; over 13,000 titles of LGBTQ periodicals; 700…

Collection dates prior to separation from Los Angeles County (1889)to present. Bulk of collection dates from 1889 to 1953 and is Orange County specific.

Founded in 1956, the Orange Empire Railway Museum preserves the railway history of Los Angeles and Southern California. In addition to its large collection of full size railway cars and locomotives, its archives contains extensive materials on the Los Angeles Railway and Pacific Electric Railway, as well as the mainline railroads that served Southern California.

The Special Collections holdings reflect the diverse communities of the Claremont Colleges and the local area and region. Among the collections especially pertinent to Los Angeles and Southern California are the following:

The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage was opened in 2001 and is named after its lead donors, Ruth and Charles Gilb. The Museum is maintained and operated by the City of Arcadia and houses artifacts and artwork representative of local Arcadia history and culture. The Museum presents seven individual interpretive exhibit spaces with both permanent and temporary exhibits as well as three off-site…

The Topanga Historical Society (THS) was organized in 1974 by a group of dedicated community leaders who recognized the urgent need to collect and preserve records of Topanga’s unique history and to make them available to future generations. The Society maintains an Archive Center and presents quarterly local history programs.