Accessing the Past Digital History Collaborative (APDHC)

Accessing the Past is a cooperative partnership with the Palm Springs Public Library, the City of Palm Springs, the California State Library, and other community partners. Together we are making our historic collections digitally available to anyone, anywhere in the world, and connecting people to information.

The City of Palm Springs and surrounding areas of the Coachella Valley have a rich history of being the playground to the stars, the inspiration for unique architecture and a place with deep roots. Many people seek information and photos about our popular residents, as well as our local legends and historic sites.

The Palm Springs Public Library, as information specialists, has taken the lead in our community to bring multiple organizations together to share all our local history resources. Whether for local enrichment or for research purposes, numerous historical documents, photos and maps are available to the world in an online searchable database. Items include but are not limited to: photographs, directories, social registers, local newspapers, manuals, blueprints/plans, maps, yearbooks, phone books, documents and artifacts.

Funded By:

This project was made possible in part by the Institute for Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Legal Statement:

APDHC makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to digitized images. However, these images are intended for Personal or Research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Library. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.