Visit the Archive

There is a lot of history to explore online through the Fort Collins History Connection website, but there's even more to discover by visiting us at the Archive at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery!

Visiting the Archive in person also allows you to interact with the staff, who can lend their knowledge of local history and available resources to assist in your research requests. It's our job and we love doing it!

What can I see by visiting the Archive in person?

Quite a bit! Most of the Archive's resources are not online and may only be viewed in person. Although we have scanned many items, online digital collections represent a fraction of our collections. We continue to work on making more and more materials available online.

Collections that are only partially online include:

• Special Collections - inventories and finding aids are online for these collections, but the archival materials in each collection are not scanned.
• Vertical Files - over 4,000 folders of clippings, papers, reports and more on local topics, people, and places. A small number of heavily-used files have been scanned, but the vast majority of these files must be consulted in person.
• Tax Assessor Record Cards
• Photographs, Negatives, and Slides - thousands of images have not yet been scanned.
• Historic Maps - hundreds of maps have not yet been scanned.
• Reference Books - many books are available for viewing and/or checkout at the archive and at the library.
• Newspapers - there are no online versions of the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper (or its antecedents) dating from 1923-1972.

Do I need an appointment to visit the Archive?

An appointment is not required to visit the Archive, but we recommend contacting us in advance for specific research requests or materials. We do need at least 2 days of lead time to retrieve collections that are stored off-site.

What else can I expect when I visit?

• The Archive is part of the "free zone" at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. The Archive Research Room located just to the right of the main lobby when you enter the Museum.
• Parking is free at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.
• All researchers must sign the visit the Reference Desk and sign the Visitor's Register each day they visit the Archive.
• Food and drink are prohibited in the Archive.
• Personal property not essential to research, including backpacks and coats, must be placed on the floor or in provided lockers in the Research Room.
• Two computers are available to researchers in the archive. Laptops/tablets are allowed as long as they do not disturb other patrons.
• Books and all materials are non-circulating and may not be removed from the Archive.
• The Archive is a pen-free zone, meaning that you may only use pencils for note-taking.
• We may ask you to wear cotton gloves, which we will provide, to handle certain materials.

View our entire Research Policy.

Have more questions about visiting the Archive? View our Frequently Asked Questions page, or Contact Us!