Researching archival material is always an adventure. You never know what you may find. We may already have many historical documents in our collections that you can use as evidence for your research project.
If you aren't sure what subject you want to explore, contact the archivist early on, so that she can help you (a) determine if the topic that you are exploring is a feasible one, considering your completion timeline; (b) locate CI collection material that supports your thesis; and (c) assist you in locating collections outside of CI that address your topic.
The majority of our archival materials are divided into subjects, as shown below.
· Ventura County Environmental Collections
· Ventura County History Collections
These links take you to the library’s “DSpace” – our digital locations of the materials. Keep in mind that there is only a small portion of collection material that is on DSpace; search for the “finding guide” within each collection to view all of the holdings. Make sure that you are searching “within the collection” and not all of DSpace. The finding guide will provide detailed information about the collection. It is very important that you review the finding guide before you come in to do research, so that you can inform the archivist what boxes and files you are particularly interested in.
When reviewing the collection, be sure to make notations on where you find information (Record Group, Box and File), so that you can re-locate the documents if necessary, to properly cite them in your research. See: Citing Archive Sources
We are always happy to assist you with your research. Be sure to contact the archivist two weeks before your actual collection visit, so that she can help you determine how the collection can best serve your research requirements. Archival personnel and seating space are limited; therefore, the archivist must schedule appointments in order to accommodate reference requests and designate seating for researchers.
