Explore the Newberry at a Distance
Just because you’re social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t keep accessing the cultural heritage that connects us and helps us make sense of the world.
While the Newberry may not be able to serve you in person at the moment, we’re still here to fuel your research, teaching, learning, and unmitigated curiosity about the past.
Here’s how you can engage with the Newberry at a distance:
Attend a Virtual Public Program
Browse, Study, and Remix our Digital Collections
Access more than 1 million high-res images from our collection online. Under our open access policy, these images are available for any scholarly, creative, or commercial endeavor you can dream up. We want our collections to inspire curiosity, discovery, learning, and creativity everywhere.
Watch #NLfromhome Videos
Each week, our curators and librarians take turns sharing favorite collection items and digital learning tools live on Twitter. We’re archiving the videos here on our website so you can watch them whenever you like.
Teach with Our Collections
Looking for online tools to engage students at home? The Newberry’s Digital Collections for the Classroom bundle together primary sources, contextual essays, and discussion questions to enable students to explore a variety of topics, from the Great Migration and the Mexican Revolution to the Reformation and Prohibition.
Transcribe Our Archives
Join our corps of online volunteers to help transcribe letters and diaries from our archival collections. These primary sources, written by everyday Americans from the 18th through 20th centuries, chronicle daily life as well as the local and national events that have upended it, like the Great Chicago Fire and US Civil War.
Listen to Past Public Programs
Listen to lectures and discussions featuring scholars, poets, artists, journalists, dancers, and others putting the humanities into practice today.
Listen to the "Shelf Life" Podcast
One-on-one conversations with Newberry staff and fellows on everything from Michelangelo’s handwriting to the secret lives of famous American authors.