The Sacramento Room is a place where we collect and preserve Sacramento’s history. Our special collections are housed in the original reference room of the 1918 Carnegie City Library at Central Library.
Patricia Dunsmore de Carrillo Photograph Collection
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The Sacramento Room is excited to announce the recent digitization of the Patricia Dunsmore de Carrillo Photograph Collection (MC 132), a series of over 300 35mm color slides that document events within Sacramento’s Mexican and Native American community, primarily at Southside Park in 1979 and 1980. De Carrillo’s images capture the Royal Chicano Air Force’s creation of murals that now cover Southside Park’s original WPA amphitheater, community events like Festival de Colores, 16 de Septiembre, Breakfast for Niños, poetry reading at D-Q University, and the activism of American Indian Movement co-founder Dennis Banks. You can view the de Carrillo Collection and the entire panorama of the Sacramento Room’s digital collections at the link below. We welcome any questions, comments, and input to
Sacramento Room staff.
Genealogy & Justice
Join us for a workshop about the importance of ancestral research and how to get started. The program will feature a presentation on genealogical research by Michael Willis, Chairman of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, some family research tips from Sacramento Public Library archivists and librarians, a sneak peek of the upcoming documentary about historical justice, HANGTOWN, with Dawn Basciano from Emerge, and a discussion about ongoing work in the California legislature to implement reparations with Chris Lodgson from California Reparations and Reparative Justice. This program will be hosted at the dates and locations below and is free to attend.
September 7 at 1 p.m. at Kyle’s Temple AME Zion Church at 2940 42nd Street
September 14 at 1 p.m. at
Belle Cooledge Library
Room Access
A simple set of rules has been implemented to research the room.
Review the rules and learn about photocopy and digital scan procedures. See updated
hours of operation.
Digital Collections
Full and open access to digital images of photographs, periodicals, ephemera, yearbooks and directories.
Sacramento Collection
Books, periodicals, maps, ephemera, postcards and photographs documenting more than 150 years of Sacramento County’s social, cultural, religious and political history.
Special Collection
Rare books that have been removed from general circulation over the years for preservation purposes, but are of continuing value and interest. This collection contains first editions, items with notable illustrations, and many volumes that have been part of the Library collection since 1879.
Archives
Records of enduring value, including architectural blueprints, accession books, reports, scrapbooks, photographs, book catalogs, policies and procedures and public relations material chronicling Library history back to 1857. Find information on specific collections
here.
Internet Archive
Take a look and listen to digitized audio and moving imagery from the Sacramento Room collection, covering everything from the Royal Chicano Air Force to the redevelopment of Sacramento’s West End to the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant to the always entertaining creations of the Sacramento Amateur Movies Makers' Club.
Digital Sanborn Maps
Research local history with city plans and maps dating from 1867-1970.
California Collection
Encompasses the history of the state with emphasis on Northern California. The collection features in-depth county histories, biographies of prominent figures in all aspects of California history, and information on the natural, cultural and social history of the state.
Printing and Book Arts History Collection
Depicts the history of books, including printing, binding, papermaking, type design and illustration. This collection has many examples of printing by fine presses throughout the world.
Sacramento Area Authors Collection
Includes books published by authors who have close ties to the Sacramento area.
Sacramento Musicians and Songwriters Collection
Includes published recordings by local musicians and sheet music by local composers and lyricists.
Pamphlet Files
File folders containing news clippings and short articles on hundreds of local history topics.