Southwest Museum Braun Research Library

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Contact Information
E-mail: [mailto:rroom@theautry.org rroom@theautry.org]

Address:


 * 234 Museum Drive
 * Los Angeles, CA 90065-5030 USA

Telephone: 323-221-2164 ext. 256 Fax: 323-224-8224

Public Research Hours and holidays: Monday - Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Closed most major holidays. Reservations required.

Directions, maps, and public transportation:


 * Directions.
 * From North I-5 (Golden State Freeway) Merge onto I-5 S/Golden State Fwy S toward Los Angeles. Merge onto CA-110 N/Arroyo Seco Pkwy/Pasadena Fwy N via EXIT 137A toward Pasadena. 1.6 mi. Take the Ave 43 exit, EXIT 27. 0.09 mi. Turn left onto E Avenue 43. 0.2 mi. Turn right onto N Figueroa St. 0.1 mi. Take the 2nd left onto W Avenue 45. 0.1 mi. Turn right onto Marmion Way. 0.2 mi. Take the 2nd left onto Museum Dr. 0.02 mi. 234 MUSEUM DR is on the right.
 * From South I-5 (Golden State Freeway) Merge onto I-10 E/I-5 N/Golden State Fwy N toward Los Angeles. Keep left to take I-5 N/Golden State Fwy N toward Sacramento. 1.6 mi. Take the CA-110 N exit, EXIT 137B, toward Pasadena. 0.4 mi. Take EXIT 137A toward Figueroa Street. 0.2 mi. Turn left onto W Avenue 26. 0.2 mi. Turn right onto N Figueroa St. 0.8 mi. Turn left onto Marmion Way. 0.7 mi. Turn left onto Museum Dr. 0.02 mi. 234 MUSEUM DR is on the right.
 * From East I-10 (San Berardino Freeway) Merge onto I-10 W/San Bernardino Fwy W toward Los Angeles. Keep left to take San Bernardino Fwy W toward US-101/Los Angeles/Sacramento. 0.7 mi. Merge onto I-5 N/Golden State Fwy N toward Sacramento. 1.0 mi. Take EXIT 136A toward Main Street. 0.2 mi. Turn left onto Daly St. 0.5 mi. Turn slight right onto Pasadena Ave. 1.1 mi. Pasadena Ave becomes Marmion Way. 0.6 mi. Turn left onto Museum Dr. 0.02 mi. 234 MUSEUM DR is on the right.
 * From West I-10 (Santa Monica Freeway) Merge onto I-10 E/Santa Monica Fwy E. Merge onto CA-110 N via EXIT 13B on the left toward Pasadena. 4.4 mi. Take the Figueroa St exit, EXIT 26B, on the left. 0.2 mi. Merge onto N Figueroa St. 0.9 mi. Turn left onto Marmion Way. 0.7 mi. Turn left onto Museum Dr. 0.02 mi. 234 MUSEUM DR is on the right.


 * Google Map: Southwest Museum-American Indian


 * Public Transportation. Metro Bus Route 81 stops on Marmion Way just southwest of Museum Drive and the Museum. Also, the Metro Light Rail Gold Line 804 stops on Marmion Way just southwest of Museum Drive and the Museum.

Internet sites and databases:


 * Braun Research Library, Autry National Center Contact information and collection description.
 * Online catalog search by keyword, title, author, subject, and LC or Dewey call number.
 * The Autrey's Collection Online (Search) by keywords, title, creator, or subject.

Collection Description
The Braun Research Library has excellent ethnology, archaeology, American Indian linguistics, and folklore collections, and the history of Arizona, California, and the Southwest. This includes books and serials on tribal histories, government, and social life and customs of native peoples. They have a large photo archive, 700 wax cylinder recordings of Mexican American and Native American songs recorded between 1895 and 1912 in southern California, manuscripts of local history and the history of American anthropology. The collection includes 50,000 books and serials, 2,000 sound recordings, 3,000 maps, 147,000 photographs, 3,000 works of art on paper, and 700 manuscripts.

They also have a 238,000-piece Native American art and artifacts collection including 14,000 baskets, 10,000 ceramic items, 6,300 textiles and weavings, and more than 1,100 pieces of jewelry of natives from Alaska to South America, especially from California and the Southwestern United States.

The catalog of the Braun Research Library is combined with the catalog for the Autrey Library at Griffith Park which emphasizes the history and geography of the American West.

Tips
An appointment is required at least two weeks in advance. Apply at: Research Rules and Application.

Alternate Repositories
If you cannot visit or find a source at the , a similar source may be available at one of the following.

Overlapping Collections


 * National Archives—Pacific Region (Riverside), CA. Federal court records and agencies in AZ and CA.
 * Bancroft Library, Univ. Calif. Berkeley Early settlers, migration trails, stagecoaches, miners, and histories. They probably have more Arizona historical material than any repository in Arizona.

Similar Collections


 * FamilySearch Library, Salt Lake City, has many California and Arizona cemeteries, census, church, court, histories, immigration, land, military, and naturalization records on microfilm.

Neighboring Collections


 * California State Library (Sacramento) censuses, great registers, city directories, CA historical newspapers, genealogical periodicals, death index 1905-1995, marriage index 1949-1986.
 * California State Archives, Sacramento, has county records, such as court records, prison records, wills, deeds, as well as military records, state census records, and school records.
 * Sutro Library, San Francisco, most extensive genealogy collection west of Salt Lake City.
 * California Historical Society, San Francisco, economic, social, political, and cultural heritage including 50,000 books, 4,000 manuscripts, photos, maps, newspapers, and artifacts.
 * California DPH Vital Records births since 1905, marriages 1949-1986 and 1998-1999, divorces 1962-1984, deaths since 1905.
 * Long Beach Public Library Calif. rancho and Mexican history, obituaries, published genealogy.
 * Los Angeles Public Library biographies, online databases, censuses, vital records, family histories, city directories, passenger arrivals, local histories, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries.
 * Los Angeles FamilySearch Center 86 computers, 56,000 microfilms, and books. Censuses, vital records from many states, genealogies, and histories, immigration, natualizations, passenger arrivals.
 * Repositories in surrounding counties: Kern, Orange, San Bernardino, and Ventura.
 * Huntington Beach Central Library has 19,000 books, periodicals, and microfilms of the Orange County Genealogical Society.
 * Repositories in surrounding states (or nations): Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Mexico
 * State Library of Arizona, Phoenix, has a large book/periodical collection. This is the starting place for Arizona family history research.
 * Nevada State Library and Archives, Carson City, births, marriages, deaths, censuses, military.
 * New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, government records since 1621, manuscripts, Catholic church records, census, wills, family histories, letters, diaries, maps, photos.
 * Archivo General de la Nación, Mexico City, church, civil, census, court, history, military, migration, land.