The Henry Ford’s archives hold millions of documents and photographs, along with audio and motion picture material, while the library maintains a collection of tens of thousands of books and periodicals. Our archivists and librarians collect, organize, describe, preserve, and provide access, digitally and physically, to these historical records and reference holdings.

An important part of our work is caring for historic artifacts. The materials in the collection are wide-ranging, as are the skills needed to preserve them. Our conservators use their scientific and technical knowledge to preserve textiles, paper, metal, plastics, and many other materials.

Our Digitization Specialists and the Digital and Emerging Media team are responsible for capturing and organizing digital assets, including high-res files, derivatives, and metadata, on servers within our collections management database.

The Henry Ford manages and cares for an extensive collection of artifacts. Registrars track the artifacts, assigning each a unique catalog number and documenting important information in our collections database. Collections managers ensure artifacts move safely and securely around our campus and always return to an appropriate storage area.