Dr. JOHN P. DE CECCO ARCHIVEs & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

The Dr. John P. De Cecco Archives and Special Collections of the GLBT Historical Society are among the largest and most extensive holdings in the world of materials pertaining to LGBTQ people, occupying more than 4,000 linear feet of storage. Broadly speaking, our over 1,000 collections include personal papers, organizational records, periodicals, oral histories, photographs, audiovisual recordings, ephemera, artifacts and works of art.

Visitor Information

In-person research appointments are available. Please scroll down to Make an Appointment to schedule your visit. We also encourage visitors to explore our online resources.

Please click here for information regarding the safety measures and policies we have implemented to protect you during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Masks are required at all times in the archives, and we have implemented social-distancing and cleaning procedures.

If you cannot make it to your visit or are not feeling well the day of your reservation, please stay home and take care. We will work with you to reschedule your appointment. Email reference@glbthistory.org.

ADMISSION & HOURS

The GLBT Historical Society’s archives are non-circulating. All materials must be consulted in the reading room. All visits to the archives are by appointment only. Appointments are available Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

At least one collection must be paged in advance before you arrive for your appointment. Please consult our catalog and share this information with the archivist when you make your appointment. Email the reference staff here.

Make an appointment to visit the archives reading room here.

READING ROOM POLICIES

Pencils, paper, laptops and digital cameras are allowed in the reading room. We will ask you to stow your personal belongings in the vestibule and consume any food or drink you have in our office break room. No food or drink is permitted in the archives. Some of our collections contain sexually explicit materials; you must be at least 18 years old to view such content. You are welcome to take digital photographs of the materials without a flash for personal reference use. For information about duplications, licensing, permissions and associated fees, please click here.

GET INVOLVED

We maintain our extensive archival collections with generous help from foundations, business sponsors, individual donors and volunteers. You can join in supporting the archives by arranging a sponsorship, making a donation to the GLBT Historical Society, signing on as a volunteer — or all three!

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

GLBT Historical Society

Archives & Research Center

989 Market Street, Lower Level

San Francisco, CA 94103

The archives are located on Market Street between 5th and 6th Streets in downtown San Francisco.

By BART: Take any San Francisco-bound train to Powell Station, then walk one long block west toward Sixth Street.

By Muni: Via the Muni Metro underground, take lines J, K, L, M, N, S to Powell station or line T to Union Square Station, then walk one long block west along Market Street toward Sixth Street. Via other Muni lines, streetcar F-Market and buses 5-Fulton, 5R-Fulton Rapid, 7-Haight-Noriega, 9-San Bruno, 9R-San Bruno Rapid, 27-Bryant and 31-Balboa all stop within a block and a half of the archives.

By car: Metered street parking is available, but may be very difficult to find. Self-parking is available at the Fifth & Mission civic garage.