Online Collections

In addition to visiting the South Florida Collections Management Center (SFCMC) in Everglades National Park, those interested in the parks' collections can increasingly find materials online through these public portals:

NPS IRMA Portal

The Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) Portal provides easy access to National Park Service applications that manage and deliver resource information to parks, partners, and the public. Find and download documents and datasets about natural and cultural resources in the parks in the Data Store.

NPS Technical Information Center (TIC)

TIC’s database and collection contains documents and drawings that are utilized in the planning, development, construction, modification, and repair of buildings and facilities in the parks. Planning, resource management, and development type documents establish guidelines for the overall use, preservation, management, and development of areas within NPS.

NPS Web Catalog

Selections from park collections have been uploaded to this national catalog portal.

Open Parks Network--Clemson University

Beginning in 2017, tens of thousands of photographs from the Biscayne and Everglades collections are being scanned and uploaded to the Open Parks Network site, along with metada (information) for each photo. The SFCMC will add more parks and images to this project as funding becomes available.

Other agencies hold materials in their collections that relate to the history of and activities in the SFCMC parks:

National Archives and Records Administration

NARA holds archival material related to the history of the parks and, in some cases, to the history of the park area before NPS management. A good example of the latter is Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park. When searching, try several terms, such as "dry tortugas" and "fort jefferson." Most records from the era of the fort as an active army post are in Record Group 393.

Library of Congress

Current and past legislation affecting the parks can be searched at https://www.congress.gov/. Historical maps, books, and manuscripts related to the parks can be searched at https://www.loc.gov/. Of particular interest are the photographs and drawings produced by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), which are in the "digital collections" section of the LOC website.

U.S. Geological Survey

Research conducted and publications produced about the parks by the USGS can be searched on its website via the search box in the upper right hand corner.