The Center for Local History's Community Archives at the Arlington Public Library collects and preserves materials that represent the evolving history and culture of Arlington County.  Working with members of the community, local groups and organizations, businesses, and institutions; the Center for Local History seeks to document Arlington’s diversity, growth, and vibrancy through its archival and special collections.

The Center for Local History collections are available to the public and consist of both physical and digital materials.  These varied collections are great resources for teachers, scholars, students, and anyone interested in learning more about Arlington County.

The Center for Local History would like to invite the Arlington Community to play an active role in documenting their history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.  The Center for Local History is currently accepting materials pertaining to Arlington County’s history and culture which include, but are not limited to:

• Audio Tapes
• Born Digital Materials (Flash Drives, Floppy Disks, JPEGs, PDFs, TIFFs, Video Files, WAV Files, Word Documents, etc.)
• Business Files and Records
• Club or Group Records
• Maps
• Newsletters
• News Clippings
• Institutional or Organizational Files and Records
• Personal Papers, Files, and Notes
• Photographs (Both Physical and/or Scanned Images, Digital Camera/Phone Images)
• Scrapbooks
• Video Tapes