Includes a collection of glass lantern slides and a set of the North American Indian. The Northwest Room’s set of The North American Indian consists of twenty individually bound books, each with an average of 250 pages and 75 images, and 20 accompanying portfolios, each with an average of 36 large image plates housed in each folding case.

The "Lost Tacoma" project was originally designed and conceived by archivist Jeanie Fisher. It includes blueprints and technical drawings of both proposed buildings in Tacoma which were never constructed and constructed buildings which are now demolished. This is a partial representation of the Lost Tacoma collection, constituting 116 of the total 560 blueprints across 26 locations. Digitization for this project was supported by a 2016 Pierce County Historic Preservation Grant.

Includes materials related to World War II collected by Tacoma Public Library including reports, pamphlets, propaganda, maps, bulletins, and Tacoma war ration book. A photo biography of Adolf Hitler compiled by Joseph Goebbels for the German people titled "Adolf Hitler: Pictures from the Life of the Fuhrer" is also included.

A collection of sheet music that has to do with Tacoma, the Puget Sound region or Washington State that ranges from the 19th century to the late 20th century.

Includes photos and documents related to the Vietnam War and the related anti-war movement. The photos are undated, documenting what appears to be the experience of soldiers, including portraits of Vietnamese people and group photos, and pictures of soldiers. The documents that are dated range from 1969-71, and consist of anti-war posters for events and rallies, many of them held by students at the University of Washington along with documents and letters from local organizations such as Tacoma Women for Peace.

A collection of photographs by professional and amateur photographers throughout the years of the Washington State Fair/Puyallup Fair from 1900-2011. Original photograph collection is held by the Washington State Fair and not at Tacoma Public Library. First and last names of the photographers are listed when known. Unknown photographers have been filed in the decade in which it was taken.

Includes lantern slides and print photographs showing mountaineering and nature images collected by Don Cooper.

Includes photographs covering a wide range of locations, events, buildings, and people that are not part of a specific photograph collection or created by an individual photographer.

Postcards with a focus on the city of Tacoma including images of local buildings, landscapes,and people. Other postcards are from around the Puget Sound region and Washington state along with some national and international cards. Postcards are arranged either by named collection or by subject and feature a front and back image. Postcards feature black and white, color, and colorized photography plus sepia and text only formats.

Includes items created for a short term purpose that have been retained for their long term historical, informational, or research value. These include pamphlets and brochures, tickets, and event programs.

Contains menus from area restaurants and local special events. Also included are several menus from ships.

Includes local and regional cookbooks and recipes produced by community organizations, churches, and businesses.

Includes publications by the California Joint Immigration Committee of San Francisco, newspaper clippings, government orders, proclamations, and other papers relating to a campaign in the 1920s and 1930s to bar Japanese people from West Coast states, a locally organized campaign to stop Japanese individuals from owning farmland, and the relocation and incarceration of Japanese citizens during World War II.

Includes booklets, manuscripts, theses and dissertations, reports, and other writings about Washington State. Also included are writings about and by Washington authors.

Includes posters created and displayed during World War I issued by various federal and non-profit organizations including the US Food Administration, the Red Cross, the American Library Association and others. Also included are British, Canadian, and French posters.

Includes maps of the northwestern United States from various sources. Coverage is primarily focused on Washington, Pierce County, and Tacoma.

Dear Tacoma was a cooperative project undertaken by the Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room and Grit City Magazine to collect local stories about living during the COVID-19 pandemic. Launched in May 2020, the collection consists of documents such as audio recordings, emails, photographs, and other content submitted by the general public to the library.

Oral histories and interviews conducted with community members by the Community Archives Center.

Includes videos, interviews, and other material gathered by the Community Archives Center at community events.

Born digital videos created by Tacoma-based filmmaker Paul Jackson, PhD including documentaries, interviews, and recordings of regional meetings and events.

Includes writings, photographs, flyers, and other information related to Charles Carson's work as a speaker, musician, and activist.

Includes research files and notes gathered and compiled by Pfutzenreuter related to the Salishan neighborhood. Also included is Justi's "Narratives of Salishan: The Untold Story," a documentary she produced for her Masters Capstone Project in Spring 2019 as part of the University of Washington Tacoma's Masters of Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies program.

The documentary introduction states, "When it comes to Salishan, most of the history that we do know lies in short, unnuanced articles in the Tacoma News Tribune. These articles were, and continue to be, influential in the ways readers view the neighborhood and those who live in it. Written by outsiders who may have preconceived notions, these articles leave no space for residents’ voices and their experiences. Taking this into consideration, the history that we don’t know resides in the minds and memories of those who have lived there, including families that belong to the Puyallup Tribe from whom the land was originally taken. It’s important to examine these perspectives to develop a fuller picture of the neighborhood. Since its origins in 1943, Salishan has had a negative reputation within the larger community. Without the voices of the tenants, negative stereotypes about Salishan will persist. We should ask, 'who’s telling the story?' and 'who’s constructing the narrative of Salishan?' This film project documents the experiences of residents, using their own voices, as an intervention into the dominant negative narrative about Salishan."

Includes an oral history with Sulja Warnick along with digital copies of photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence related to Warnick's life and career.

Includes photographs taken by photographer Joe Becker of the marriage ceremony of Rudy Henry and John McCluskey, the first same-gender couple to be issued a marriage license in Pierce County. Also includes a slideshow created by Geoff Corso which was shared at the celebration of life ceremony held in memory of John McCluskey and Rudy Henry following their deaths.

Includes correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, photos, and other documents related to Wanda Thompson’s life. Many of the documents pertain to Thompson’s career including her time as a model, job analyst for Puget Sound Bank, employee at the Washington State Department of Corrections, and the Executive Director of the Rehabilitation Council of Washington State. The papers also point to Thompson’s involvement with the community in Tacoma like her engagement with the Afro-Pageant and Show. Also included is an oral history with Wanda Thompson recorded on June 3, 2023.

Includes oral history interviews with students enrolled in English language classes at Tacoma Community House.

Radio Tacoma (101.9) is an all-volunteer, low-power FM community radio station with a mission "to serve Tacoma and the surrounding area, providing the opportunity for participatory democracy as a venue for local voices, news, and talent that might otherwise not get heard." Their regular programming includes The Cannabis Corner, Climate Talk, and Grit City Stories.

Includes video interviews created for the documentary "The Evolution of Collective Wisdom" along with bios of the interviewees. Also included are materials related to the Black Collective's Black History Month programming.

Includes video recordings from WILLO Storytelling Festivals held between 2014 and 2019. Participants include Senator Rosa Franklin, Puyallup Tribal leader Ramona Bennett, writer Tamiko Nimura, Representative Marilyn Strickland, Superintendent Carla Santorno, and WILLO founder Seong Shin.

Includes documents related to the establishment and operations of the Hilltop Library Planning Committee. Also included is an oral history recorded with members and a short video created by the committee.