--- title: Library of Congress Digitized the Rosa Parks Collection description: Now everyone can peruse the historical archive of Rosa Parks online. canonical: https://time.com/4237351/the-library-of-congress-has-digitized-the-rosa-parks-collection/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-25T18:31:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:23:05.547Z article:section: History og:title: The Library of Congress Digitized the Rosa Parks Collection og:description: Now everyone can peruse the civil rights icon's archive og:url: https://time.com/4237351/the-library-of-congress-has-digitized-the-rosa-parks-collection/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4203e627b0971c/69887f22196cf49f5f03a7e7/rosa-parks-library-of-congress-collection.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Rosa Parks, Nov. 1956. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Library of Congress Digitized the Rosa Parks Collection twitter:description: Now everyone can peruse the civil rights icon's archive twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltca4203e627b0971c/69887f22196cf49f5f03a7e7/rosa-parks-library-of-congress-collection.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Library of Congress Has Digitized the Rosa Parks Collection  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Feb 25, 2016 6:31 PM CUT  Rosa Parks, Nov. 1956, photographer not identified. From the Rosa Parks Collection at the Library of Congress. Rosa Parks, Nov. 1956, photographer not identified. From the Rosa Parks Collection at the Library of Congress.Library of Congress  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Feb 25, 2016 6:31 PM CUT More than 10,000 items, including photographs, hand-written correspondence and personal reflections, comprise the [Rosa Parks Collection](https://www.loc.gov/collections/rosa-parks-papers/about-this-collection "undefined") at the Library of Congress–and now virtually all of it has been digitized and made available to the public. That means anyone can explore the 7,500 manuscripts and 2,500 photographs in the collection, which spans the years 1866 to 2006, and offer a distinct window into both the professional and personal aspects of the civil rights hero’s life. There were a few bumps on the archive’s road to this public accessibility. When Parks passed away in 2005, her [heirs and friends disagreed](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/howard-buffett-rosa-parks-archive-110436 "undefined") over who should inherit these possessions. The ensusing legal battle lasted for years and ensured that no one had access to the thousands of documents in the meantime. As a result, the documents went up for sale to the highest bidder in 2014 and a charitable foundation run by Howard Buffett, son of Warren Buffett, [bought the entire archive](http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/31/news/economy/howard-buffett-buys-rosa-parks-collection/ "undefined") for $4.5 million. Buffett said he purchased the collection in order to preserve it for the public. He loaned it to the Library of Congress for 10 years at the end of 2014, and the Library opened the archive to researchers in February of last year. The vast majority of the collection — including letters from presidents and the hat that Parks may have worn when she first declined to give up her bus seat — is searchable through the Library of Congress website. 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