PHX Reporter

Arizona Secretary of State issued the following announcement on Aug. 12.

For over a century, schools from all corners of Arizona have been chronicling students, sports, and other activities on the pages of yearbooks. Looking Back- Arizona's School Yearbooks is a collection where genealogists and historians will find a trove of information not just on the students, but also on the institutions and how student life and culture has changed over the years. Yearbooks from Arizona's public schools, universities, and other educational institutions make up this collection and are just a portion of the State of Arizona Research Library's holdings. These yearbooks are now available online for free on the Arizona Memory Project and FamilySearch.org(link is external).

"Not only do these yearbooks provide snapshots of student life in cities and towns throughout Arizona, but they are also a thrill to look through," said Arizona Collection Librarian Paloma Phelps. "They capture meaningful information such as growth and development within the school and surrounding area. More personally, they can offer a detailed record of students' activities and experiences. Yearbooks are also an important genealogical resource; the photographs and personal details included are invaluable."

Digitization of these yearbooks comes courtesy of a partnership between the State of Arizona Research Library and FamilySearch International(link is external). Researchers using Looking Back- Arizona's School Yearbooks collection will be able to browse yearbooks from 1903 to 1987 indefinitely using any digital device at http://go.azsos.gov/azyearbooks.

For questions about this or any digital collection, or for cultural institutions interested in sharing collections on the Arizona Memory Project, contact azmemory@azlibrary.gov(link sends e-mail).

The Arizona Memory Project provides free online access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona archives, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. The Arizona Memory Project is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Original source can be found here.