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Learn About the Paley Archive

MEMBER RESERVATION  BECOME A PALEY MEMBER  SCHOLARS ROOM

The Paley Archive—The Paley Center for Media’s permanent collection—began with just 718 programs and has since grown into the largest public collection of its kind with over 160,000 television and radio programs and advertisements that span more than a century of media history. Often referred to as a national treasure, it serves as a unique and free resource designed to educate, engage, and inspire professionals, academics, students, families, members of the creative community, and the public. This vast collection offers unparalleled access to the creative visionaries, cultural milestones, and influential leaders who have shaped media and society.

Carefully curated, the Paley Archive encompasses a wide array of genres—comedy, drama, entertainment, sports, news, public affairs, documentary, performing arts, reality, animation, and children's and family programming—and each program taken into the Archive is selected for its artistic, cultural, and historical significance. The Archive also provides a global perspective on media history, with holdings from over seventy countries including the earliest known live television broadcast, The Streets of New York or Poverty Is No Crime (1939).

The renowned collection serves as a time capsule that contains classic, historic, and contemporary pivotal moments in media, culture, and society. Among its treasures are Edward R. Murrow’s frontline reports, the first intercontinental TV transmission from See It Now, and global coverage of 9/11. Iconic programs like Roots, The Nat King Cole Show featuring legendary guests like Ella Fitzgerald, and early appearances by James Dean highlight groundbreaking television. Barbra Streisand’s television specials, Jim Henson’s reimagined fairytales with Muppets, and Leonard Bernstein’s educational concerts showcase the Archive’s rich entertainment and performing arts collection. The greatest championships from the major sports leagues along with most historic moments in sporting history are preserved here—from Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series and 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice” to the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final.

The Archive also houses beloved contemporary television comedies and dramas ranging from Seinfeld to The Sopranos as well as cultural milestones, including the first hour of MTV, Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House tour, and rare concert performances by David Bowie. Pioneering moments in radio are represented, such as the First International Transatlantic Radio Broadcast (1925), Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds (1938), President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats (1933-1944), and labor leader Samuel Gompers’s 1918 recorded speech, which is the oldest in the collection.

The Paley Archive also houses more than a thousand in-person events produced by The Paley Center, showcasing conversations with the creative voices and the icons who have left an indelible mark on the media landscape.

The Paley Archive serves as an invaluable record of media’s profound impact on culture and society. The renowned collection is available to the public at both The Paley Museum in New York City and now, at its West Coast home in the Beverly Hills Public Library.

All visitors are welcome to explore the wonders of the permanent collection of media on a first-come, first served basis.  Only Paley Members can reserve access in advance of their visit.

MEMBER RESERVATION  BECOME A PALEY MEMBER

Scholars Room

The Scholars Room is an exclusive, dedicated space within The Paley Archive at the Beverly Hills Library designed for scholars, journalists, media professionals, and researchers of all types who require extended access to the archive for in-depth study. 

You must be a Paley Member to get access to the Scholars Room.

How to Reserve
Paley Center Members can reserve the Scholars Room by using their member ID on the designated Registration Page [TBD] to unlock available times and confirm their booking.

Credentialing Requirements
While formal academic credentials are not required, users may be asked to provide a brief summary of their research topics to ensure appropriate use of the space.

The Paley Center encourages all users to acknowledge the archive in any resulting publications, articles, or media projects, thus helping to highlight the archive's impact on scholarly and creative work.

MEMBER RESERVATION  BECOME A PALEY MEMBER