Our Collections Department offers a wealth of information online, including digitized images, curated exhibit content, and a Library catalog to assist with your research. We encourage you to explore all of these resources to delve deeper into the rich collections available at TFI.

Catalog Access

TFI provides the public access to its extensive Library and Digital Collections [Coming Soon!] catalogs, which together encompass books, serials, manuscripts, audio and visual records, prints, photographs, and other materials. These online catalogs allow anyone to explore holdings, discover specific items, and plan their research more effectively. Bear in mind that the catalogs may not be all-inclusive, especially for certain types of materials.

Search Hints When Using The Library Catalog

To help you get the most out of your search, consider these tips:

• Boolean Operators:

  Use the column of drop-down options to apply Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT. For example, performing a search for “science OR history AND museum” will retrieve all records that are either “science” or “history” along with the word “museum.”

• Search by Specific Criteria:

  Use the column of drop-down options to search by keyword, title, author, subject, and more.

• Advanced Search Features:

  Towards the bottom of the advanced search page, you can limit your search by item type, publication date, language, and format. You may also sort results by relevance, popularity, author, call number, date, or title.

• Lowercase Search:

  Searching with lowercase letters will also find matches for capitalized words. For example, science will retrieve results for science, Science, and SCIENCE.

• Wildcard Characters:

  Use the * character to find partial matches. For example, slave* will retrieve results for slave, slaves, slavery, and slaveholders. Similarly, *manship will find penmanship, horsemanship, and workmanship.
  
  Add the ~ character directly after the word to search for a similarly spelled word or if you think you are misspelling a word, for example a search for "flang~" will match flange and fang.
  
  The % character can also be used to find variant spellings, like Smi%, which will return Smith, Smothers, and Smelley.

Support for Open Access

TFI’s Library provides online access to databases with primary and secondary source material, curriculum standards, and case studies. Certain online resources are subscription-based and can only be used on-site when connected to TFI’s Wi-Fi.

The Library’s catalog also includes links in its search results to open access materials on the internet. Open access publishing removes financial barriers, allowing a global audience to access scholarly content without restrictions. By including links to these resources when people search the Library catalog, TFI shows its support to equitable access to knowledge for underrepresented communities and individuals who may not be able to afford a trip to TFI’s Library but would benefit from remote access to diverse scholarly voices from different regions and cultural backgrounds, broadening the scope of available research and supporting a more inclusive environment.

Manuscript Access

The Finding Aids for TFI’s Archives are available online through the Philadelphia Area Archives (PAA). Links to this site might appear in the Library catalog's search results. Please note that some of TFI’s archival series still are undergoing processing so not everything can be discovered in this manner. To request access to or copies of manuscripts from TFI's Archives, you will need the collection name, item title, and relevant inventory information such as series title/number, box, volume, and folder number. Additional information concerning the use of these manuscripts can be found on our Reproduction, Copyright and Publication page.

Further Information

Anyone is welcome to contact the Librarian if they have questions or need further information. Contact details are provided below:

The Franklin Institute Library and Archives
222 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Tel: 215.488.1264
Email: library@fi.edu