The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
The King Library & Archive
The King Library and Archives in Atlanta is the largest repository of primary source materials on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American Civil Rights Movement in the world. The collection consists of the papers of Dr. King and those of the organization he co-founded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as well as the records of 8 major civil rights organizations and of several individuals active in the Movement. The archives also include more than 200 oral history interviews with Dr. King’s teachers, friends, family and civil rights associates.
The King Library and Archives’ mission is the appropriate application of archival principles in the preservation, processing, arrangement and description of materials relevant to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the modern civil rights movement. The institution serves to:
- promote research and study on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the modern civil rights movement,
- acquire, promote and preserve information produced by or about Dr. King and the modern civil rights movement and
- promote dissemination of information on Dr. King and the modern civil rights movement through the preparation of brochures, guides and exhibits.
These holdings exist today as the main link to understanding the events during the civil rights movement. The King Library and Archives has played a crucial role in assuring the survival and preservation of many of the documents and artifacts of the civil rights movement through several documentation efforts.
The records are available for historical research by appointment.
Hours of Operation
9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Monday through Friday
For appointments and more information contact:
King Library and Archives
Phone: 404.526.8983
Fax: 404.526.8914