Dear Friends of the Archive-Library,

The Archive-Library will be closing temporarily for a renovation project, which involves the installation of compact shelving in the area which houses our primary collections, on  Monday May 7. We plan to re-open on Monday June 18. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

This project, which will allow us to better organize and care for our unique collections, is one that we have wanted to undertake for many years. We thank the Wood Claeyssens Foundation for their generous support which has allowed us to implement these changes.

Thank you for your understanding!

Beginning July 1, 2012, visitors wishing to access our collection for genealogical research will be required to be members of The Friends of the Archive-Library. This membership will give you access to our copies of the Sacramental Registers, Censuses, and other resources that are useful in researching family histories. For more information on how to join visit the "Support SBMAL" page.

Welcome to the Santa Bárbara

Mission Archive-Library!

We are home to a unique collection of sources related to the missions of California, California history, Franciscan history, and the history of native peoples in the Southwest until approximately 1850.

The core of our collection consists of thousands of documents and the sacramental registers from the twenty-one missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and that range from San Diego to Sonoma. These items came to the Mission Santa Bárbara as the other missions were secularized and discontinued in the mid-nineteenth century. The catalogues for these materials can be found on the “Mission Archive” page.

We also have within our Archive an several thousand photo images of various types that cover a broad range of subjects and dating from 1860’s on, as well as the private papers of prominent scholars of California mission art, architecture, archaeology, and anthropology including, Edith Buckland Webb, Norman Neuerburg, Kurt Baer, and Ynez Haase. These materials are in the process of being catalogued and digitized.

Our mission is to collect and preserve these materials in order to provide access to researchers and to help increase the knowledge about the missions, their past and their role in the heritage of California and the Americas.

To this end, we also sponsor the Maynard Geiger Memorial Internship, the Norman Neuerburg Memorial Lecture, and occasional lecture series and conferences on topics related to California Mission history. Please check back frequently for updates on coming events.

If you are interested in learning more about the Archive-Library’s efforts and how to support them, please sign up for our electronic newsletter La Gaceta, and think about becoming a member. If you are interested in conducting research here, please contact us to set up an appointment.

Monica Orozco, PhD

Director

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Background image: 1848 Fremont Survey Map of California from the SBMAL map collection. Reproduction is available for purchase.