There are two different systems for citing sources in Chicago Style: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Be sure to check your assignment to determine which citation style you should use.
Be sure to consult The Chicago Manual of Style or the online quick guide for detailed standards and procedures. Most of the guidelines for citing archival material can be found in the Chicago Manual of Style under sections for “Manuscript Collections.”
In the Notes and Bibliography system, sources are cited at the bottom of the page in numbered footnotes or endnotes. Each note corresponds to a raised (superscript) number in the text. Sources are then listed in a separate bibliography at the end of the paper.
General Format
1. Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection number or identifier, box number, folder number, Collection Name, Name of Repository, Location of Repository. URL if applicable.
In a note, the title of the item should be cited first and quotation marks are only used for specific titles. If they are part of the heading appearing on the manuscript, they can be capitalized, but if used only as descriptors, they can be lowercase.
Subsequent citations for the same document, or if using other documents from the same collection, may be shortened. The shortened form is added in brackets at the end of the first citation.
First Citation
Typescript of short story “Red Shoes” by John M Weatherwax, n.d., SPC.2015.005, box 2, folder 5, John M. Weatherwax Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA (hereafter cited as Typescript, John M. Weatherwax Collection).
Subsequent Citation
Typescript, John M. Weatherwax Collection.
General Format
Last Name, First Name of author. Name of Collection. Name of Repository, Location of Repository.
In a bibliography, references should be listed alphabetically and begin either with the name of the collection or the last name of the author.
If only using one item from a collection, you may include the title or a description of the item in the bibliography.
Example: Weatherwax, John M. Typescript of short story “Red Shoes”, n.d., John M. Weatherwax Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
I'm citing a...
Notes
1. Emiko Terada to Laura Thomas, 30 August 1942, SPC.2017.001, box 1, folder 3, James H. Osborne Nisei Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA. http://digitalcollections.archives.csudh.edu/digital/collection/p16855coll4/id/9951/rec/1.
Bibligraphy
Osborne, James H. Nisei. Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Notes
2. Photograph of tradeswomen at a Century Freeway construction site, n.d., SPC.2008.004, Vivian Price Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA. https://cdm16855.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/tradeswomen/id/408/rec/6.
3. Ninomiya Photography Studio, photograph of [Yasuko Nishida], 1950, Nino_50-156_01, Ninomiya Studio Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA. https://cdm16855.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16855coll4/id/14111/rec/40.
The use of “n.d.” in the first example indicates that the photograph does not have a date.
Bibliography
Ninomiya Photography Studio. Ninomiya Studio Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Price, Vivian. Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Some examples of text documents can include: notes, typescripts, manuscripts, clippings, and diaries.
Notes
4. Typescript of short story “Red Shoes” by John M Weatherwax, n.d., SPC.2015.005, box 2, folder 5, John M. Weatherwax Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Bibliography
Weatherwax, John M. Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Some examples of graphic material can include: cartoons, comics, prints, drawings, and broadsides.
Notes
5. San Diego Presidio ruins, painting, 1874, SPC.1970.002, box 244, folder 7, Rancho San Pedro Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA. http://digitalcollections.archives.csudh.edu/digital/collection/p16855coll3/id/1312/rec/3.
Bibliography
Rancho San Pedro Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Some examples of ephemera can include: broadsides, postcards, and posters.
Notes
6. Los Angeles Aviation Week, postcard, [1910?], SPC.1996.001, box 9, item 241, 1910 Los Angeles International Aviation Meet Research Collection, Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA. https://cdm16855.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16855coll2/id/2752/rec/8.
If using an approximate date, place the date in brackets and add a question mark to indicate uncertainty.
Bibliography
1910 Los Angeles International Aviation Meet Research Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.
Citing a print or ebook, journal article, news/magazine article, book chapter, or web page? Consult the CSUDH Library Chicago Citation Guide.
Basic Format: (Collection Title Date)
Dates of individual items should be mentioned in the text, when applicable. When mentioning dates in the text, it is not necessary to add the date along with the collection title in parentheses.
Basic Format: Collection Name. Repository Name, Repository Location. URL.
I'm citing a...
In-text Citation
In Emiko Terada’s letter to Laura Thomas dated 30 August 1942 (James H. Osborne Nisei Collection) she discussed….
Bibligraphy
Osborne, James H. Nisei Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA. http://digitalcollections.archives.csudh.edu/digital/collection/p16855coll4/id/9951/rec/1.
In-text Citation
John M. Weatherwax, in a typescript entitled “Red Shoes” (John M. Weatherwax Collection, n.d.) states….
Bibliography
If only using one item from a collection, the entry may begin with the author’s last name (if known), followed by the date. If the date is unknown, use “n.d.”. Also, as with the Notes and Bibliography system, you may choose to include the title or a description of the item in the bibliography.
Weatherwax, John M. n.d. Typescript of short story “Red Shoes”. John M. Weatherwax Collection. Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA.