**Important information about access to archival collections
We are undergoing a major collection move to offsite storage through 2024. Access to materials may be limited. Most of the archival collections will be delayed when retrieving from April 2024 to November 2024. If you are planning a research visit, please contact San Francisco History Center to determine availability and options.
The James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center includes extensive archives of historical materials relating to LGBTQIA lives and culture, with an emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. Visitors can find personal papers and organizational records, magazines and newspapers, zines, audiovisual materials, photographs, pulp paperbacks and objects.
Search tools
- Online Archive of California Detailed guides to collections.
- Library Catalog Brief descriptions of archival collections and items.
- Digital Collections
- Ask the librarians and archivists in the San Francisco History Center reading room!
Visit Hormel Center Archives
To use the archives, please visit the San Francisco History Center Reading Room on the 6th floor of the Main Library.
No appointment is needed, but some materials require advance notice for retrieval. Because of the unique and often fragile nature of these materials, archives are available for use exclusively in the San Francisco History Center reading room.
Please call the San Francisco History Center desk for more information at 415-557-4567.