Museum of Worcester Online

Museum of Worcester (MOW) is constantly adding to and frequently updating our image database. MOW online has over 20,000 of a half-million images ready for you to search! You will also find most of our periodical and pamphlet collections are here and most of the books on our library shelves. If you do not find what you are looking for, please contact the librarian because we have much more than what you see here. Call (508-753-8278) or email the library (library@worcesterhistory.net) for assistance. If you are in Worcester, stop by and visit our Research Library.

Click the Home button to open the Library Resources that we have available online.

The primary focus of our collections is the city of Worcester, with limited materials on Worcester County. We are always on the lookout for additional information. If you think you see an error or have more information about an image or book, please use the "send us feedback" option in the upper right hand corner of each record's page or contact the librarian.

Your City. Your History. Your Future.

Search Tips

Keyword Search

The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for City Hall will return records associated with City OR Hall). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type in AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Green Hill Park"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.). Searches are not case sensitive.

Search by Term

This is a quick way to search through the catalog records without having to know exactly what terms are in the collections. Each category in Search by Term is in an alphabetical list of associated items.

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching Coes in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the Coes family, without having to sift through all photographs with Coes in the description fields. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.

Random Images

The Random Images button is a great way to just browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a random assortment of images from the records online. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.

Archives/Photos/Libraries

The catalog buttons can also help narrow down your search if you only want to search for Photos, click the Photos button and type in your keyword(s) or phrase. You can also view records within that catalog without performing a search.

Requesting Reproductions

Reproductions may be requested by email. Please contact the librarian (library@worcesterhistory.net) for additional information.

Download our Permission to Reproduce Form