Libraries big and small have various collections of historical and cultural materials. Special collections are often behind closed doors, rules and time limits are often enforced and the materials can never leave the room.

If you love history, it's easy to get lost in a collection of vintage advertising or photographs. As great as these collections may be, there never seems to be enough time to really view and examine all the documents. If the collection is in high demand you may have to schedule an appointment. With only a limited amount of time, you may find yourself playing bet the clock trying to explore as much as possible, as the minutes quickly tick by.

Once upon a time I enjoyed doing research onsite. Old library buildings, dark, dusty rooms filled with historical materials had an ambiance, but convenience is now a top priority. Thankfully more and more institutions are digitizing records and placing them online making them available to everyone with a click of a mouse.

The Duke University Libraries Digital Collections offers a vast array of historical collections of materials online. Below is a list of some of their digital resources.

Early to Mid-20th Century Advertisements

TV Commercial Ad Views

African American Women

American Song Sheets

Behind the Veil: Documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South

Civil War Women

Deena Stryker Photographs, 1963-1964

Digital Durham

Digitized Books

Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement

Duke Football Programs

Emergence of Advertising in America

Emma Spaulding Bryant Letters

Everyday Life and Women in America

Gary Monroe Photographs

Historic American Sheet Music

Historical Images in Medicine

Hugh Mangum Photographs

Italian Cultural Posters, 1930s-1980s

Manuscripts and Woodcuts Visions and Designs from Bloomsbury

Marshall T. Meyer Papers

Medicine and Madison Avenue

R.C. Maxwell Company Records, 1904-1990s

Ration Coupons on the Home Front, World War II

Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions

Russian Posters Collection, 1919-1989

The Urban Landscape Digital Image Access Project

Walt Whitman Manuscripts

William Emerson Strong Photograph Album

William Gedney Photographs and Writings

Women's Travel Diaries