Founded in 1950, the Municipal Archives preserves and makes available the historical records of New York City municipal government. Dating from the early seventeenth century to the present, the Municipal Archives comprises the largest local government archive in North America. Acquired from city agencies, the Archives hold the records depicting the daily work of city government, including paper records, digital collections, web archives, still and moving images, ledgers and docket books, vital records, cartographic materials, blueprints, and sound recordings. Learn about our collections.