Guide to the Archives and Finding Aids
We strive to provide the community with rich tools to view and interact with our rich history through digital access to archives, artifacts and additional research materials. The tools available can be used together or independently to bring together an engaging experience with Boise's cultural heritage. Browse first—research deeper—then request.
Digital Archive Collection
The Boise City Archives' Digital Collection provides access to historic photographs, oral histories, artifacts, documents, and more.
Researches can explore featured collections such as City Council Minutes, city department records, and oral history interviews with Boise residents and families. The archive is fully searchable by keyword, creator, or subject and can be filtered by material type, geographic area, or subject terms to help locate specific resources.
Finding Aids
Our Finding Aids feature available through LibraryHost is the institutional repository that underlies the Archives site. It provides structured access to collection-level records and search tools that support researchers.
This tool provides advanced search capabilities such as narrowing your results to digital materials only or including unprocessed physical-only collections. By selecting a collection, you can see the scope, organization structure, date range, conditions of access or use, and summary of contents.
If you wish to view materials in person or request digitization, contact information and request forms are available through the LibraryHost interface. Some records may be restricted due to copyright or privacy law and are clearly noted as such.
Quick Comparison
| Function | Digital Archive Collections | Finding Aids |
| Best for | Browsing digital images, documents, artifacts | Researching archives |
| Search style | Simple search + filters | Advanced search (bolean, fields, date range) |
| Types of materials | Digitally recorded | Entire archive collections, digital + analog |
| Collection detail | Brief overviews and images | In-depth descriptions, structure, provenance |
| Requesting materials | Contact info and general request options | Formal request forms and appointment details |
