Researchers who want to explore Anchorage's past—any aspect or sub-theme—or the broader field of Alaska history, are fortunate in having several excellent local collections: the Alaska Collection at Z.J. Loussac Library, Anchorage Public Library; the Consortium Library on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus; and the Atwood Resource Center at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. These libraries hold major Alaskana collections of books and other published works about Alaska and the Circumpolar North. These facilities offer research guides and other finding aids, on-line research tools, and dedicated staff who can provide research assistance to help you locate what you seek.
In addition, there are two local collections which hold a large quantity of primary sources--original documents, photographs, maps, and oral histories: the Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage; and the Atwood Resource Center, Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. The 673rd Air Base Wing History Office, located on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, contains a smaller, less comprehensive, collection of records, photographs, and other related materials relating to Alaska's military history from about 1920 to the present. In addition, the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA), located on the third floor of the Consortium Library, holds a large collection of Alaskan film, television, and recorded sound materials. The Alaska federal records formerly housed at the National Archives at Anchorage were transferred to the National Archives at Seattle, Seattle, Washington, in 2014. There are two local genealogy collections: Z.J. Loussac Library, Anchorage Public Library; and the Family History Center, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Outside of Anchorage, there are excellent collections of Alaskana (books and other printed works) and primary sources held at these libraries and archival repositories: Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Alaska Historical Collections, and Alaska State Archives, Juneau; Special Collections, Pacific Northwest Collection, University of Washington Libraries, Seattle; and at the National Archives at Seattle.