About Florida Memory

The State Archives of Florida is the central repository for the Florida State Government. The Archives is mandated by law to collect, preserve and make available for public research the records of the State of Florida, as well as private manuscripts, local government records, photographs and other materials that complement official State records.

The Archives falls within the Division of Library and Information Services, which in addition to archival and records management services, provides a framework for statewide library initiatives and makes available the published and unpublished documentary history of the state. The Division of Library and Information Services is one of seven divisions within the Florida Department of State.

In an effort to make its collections accessible to the largest possible audience, the State Library and Archives of Florida applied for grant funding under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) to digitize select collections. The Florida Memory website resulted from the LSTA grant funding.

The mission of Florida Memory is to provide online access to archival resources housed in the State Library and Archives that illustrate significant moments in the state's history, offer educational resources for students of all ages, and make available collections for historical research.

The six primary components of Florida Memory are:

• 1) The Florida Photographic Collection: a searchable image database of over 176,000 photographs. The collection spans a wide range of visual images from copies of mid-16th century maps to current photographs.
• 2) Video Collection: a selection of over 110 full-length films, including news, political footage, promotional films, interviews, sports coverage and films produced by various state agencies.
• 3) Audio Collection: a searchable database of over 5,000 audio recordings, including the Florida Folklife Festival (1950s-1990s), CD’s featuring tracks from the collection, interviews and dozens of recordings divided by genre for easy access.
• 4) Collections: online access to selected historical and genealogical collections, including the Florida Folklife Collection, Spanish Land Grants, Confederate Pension Application Files and World War I Service Cards.
• 5) Exhibits: historical essays accompanying digitized examples of documents held by the State Library and Archives, along with related visual materials.
• 6) The Online Classroom: an educational resource for students and teachers with transcripts and scanned images of primary documents from Florida's past. Materials, lesson plans and online activities are tailored to meet the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.