Black Gold Cooperative Library System Advisory Board's Photo Essay collection includes black and white photographic images of historical interest spanning from the late 1800s up to the 1970s. The images strive to recognize people of four heritages who without recognition helped to build the social and economic prosperity of California Central Coast. The collection consists of selected images from four Photo Essays: 1) African Americans on the Central Coast, 2) Asian Pacific Americans on the Central Coast, 3) Hispanics on the Central Coast: 300 Years of History, 4) Native Americans on the Central Coast.

During the 1990s, Black Gold Information Center and System Advisory Board (SAB) assembled the collection of over 500 historical photographs borrowed from a number of museums, libraries, archives and other cultural organizations, as well as from individuals and family collections. For the Native Americans on the Central Coast Photo Essay, the SAB Task Force collaborated with John R. Johnson, Curator of Anthropology, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Photo Essay project was produced in cooperation with the Administrative Council of the Black Gold Cooperative Library System and System Administration with support from the State of California under provisions of the California Library Services Act, administered by the California Library Services Board.

200 photographs available online, 500 are in the full collection

Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Contact the Black Gold Cooperative Library System. Associated booklets are located at many member library jurisdictions of the Black Gold Cooperative Library System.