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Baseball Resources at the Library of Congress

A comprehensive guide to the extensive physical and digital collections held by the Library of Congress related to the country's National Pastime, baseball.

Introduction

The Library of Congress holds one of the world's largest and most diverse collections of baseball-related materials. Researchers can explore the Library's collection of early baseball cards; the papers of Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson, and other materials documenting the breaking of baseball's color line; troves of baseball sheet music and songs; photographs of baseball players, managers, teams, and stadiums; videos of baseball television shows and MLB games, as well as baseball events filmed at the Library; historic and contemporary newspapers that offer coverage of baseball at the local and national level; books, periodicals, and dissertations written on all aspects of the game; and much more.

Baseball Resources at the Library of Congress is a guide to baseball-related materials available on the Library's website and in its physical collections. It is divided into four major sections. Library of Congress Online Resources presents baseball materials freely available on the Library's website. Conducting Baseball Research offers guidance for researchers interested in locating materials available in the Library's physical collections and subscription databases, and includes summaries of relevant materials available through the Library's reading rooms and divisions. The External Resources section serves as a gateway to notable baseball websites. Finally, the Bibliography section offers researchers a selected bibliography of books about baseball.

This guide, updated regularly, was originally prepared in conjunction with the Library of Congress symposium Baseball Americana (October 2-3, 2009). The symposium coincided with the publication of Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress, a visual history of baseball that draws upon the collections of the Library's Prints and Photographs Division.

Selected Images from the Library of Congress's Online Collections