The American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) was established in 1979 to
meet the informational, cultural and educational needs of Native
Americans in Los Angeles County and to make information about them
available to the larger community.
The AIRC collection is the largest public library collection in the
U.S. that focuses on American Indians. AIRC materials include
audiocassettes, books, compact discs, films, magazines, microfilm,
newsletters, newspapers, and videocassettes. Most of these materials
can be checked out.
The collection attempts to cover the full spectrum of American Indian
experience in the continental United States - from Pre-Columbian times
to the present. Subjects covered include art, architecture,
bibliographies, biographies, education, fiction, history, languages,
literature, government relations, federal Indian law, tribal law,
tribal studies (individual tribes) and geographic area studies (e.g.,
California Tribes).
AIRC has complete microfilm sets of the Records of the Indian Claims Commission,1946-1977; Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, California Superintendency, 1849-1880; Documents Relating to the Negotiation of Ratified and Unratified Treaties, California, 1850-1869; Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Reports, 1879-1931; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletins, 1887-1971, and other government documents, theses, dissertations, and special collection materials.
Other government publications include copies of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR 25) "Indians", treaties, tribal codes and bylaws,
census rolls for the Five Civilized Tribes, and other historical
records.
The Vertical Files (VF) consist of approximately 800 alphabetically
arranged files by subject headings with unique significance to American
Indians - notable individuals, organizations, Indian specific issues,
and events - historic and contemporary.
The tribal and organization newspapers and newsletters collection
consists of over 130 titles including both historic and contemporary
publications.
AIRC has directories of the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices and tribal
government offices throughout the United States and Alaska.
AIRC serves as an information referral center for and about American
Indians - local, regional, and national - in a variety of subject areas
including health, education, occupations, legal issues, economic
issues, politics, culture, and cultural events.
If you need in-depth research assistance please contact the
AIRC librarian to make an appointment.
American Indian “NDN” 101, an
informal questions and answers forum, is held every third Saturday
of the month from 1 – 5 PM. This is an open forum to ask
questions and get some answers about American Indian history and
current affairs. This forum is geared towards adults, high school to
graduate students, professionals, and anyone interested in American
Indians. If you have a specific subject of interest please contact the
librarian in advance.
Selected Web Sites
