When Pan Am ceased operations, a team of dedicated people went to work to save the documented history of the airline and more historical material is coming to light all the time.Pan Am's historical legacy is preserved in outstanding insitutional collections: Otto Richter Library, Hartman Center at Duke, HistoryMiami and SFO Museum.
Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami
After completion of a highly successful two-year reorganization project, the archives at Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami, offers access to The Pan American World Airways, Inc. Records, the major resource for researching Pan Am corporate history. The library also provides access to other exceptional collections related to Pan Am.
To begin your search of the Cleared To Land: The Records of Pan American World Airways, Inc, go to the Special Collections and search the finding aid and links to other important Pan Am materials.
John W. Hartman Center, Duke University
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History at Duke University has developed an extensive Guide to Pan Am Collections. Their beautifully designed LibGuide on Pan Am will aid researchers and anyone else interested in the J. Walter Thompson Company's creative output on behalf of Pan Am -- images and ads that helped spread the Pan American brand around the world.
Digitized materials at the Hartman Center include:
HistoryMiami
HistoryMiami is home to an impressive collection from Pan American World Airways’ historic legacy, in the form of unique physical artifacts and photographs.
Formerly the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, their Pan American Collection includes “objects relating to the technological and corporate development of Pan American World Airways as well as the passenger experience including navigational tools, employee uniforms, in-flight safety tools and passenger items, logo merchandise, and corporate commemorative awards.” The extent of the Pan Am collection includes over 500 artifacts, and takes up about 400 square feet of space.
HistoryMiami, a member of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, is one Miami’s most prominent cultural institutions. Along with the Miami Art Museum and the Main Public Library, HistoryMiami is located at the downtown Miami Cultural Plaza, designed by Philip Johnson.
Dynamic public programming and a world-class archive division, offers researchers access to a carefully maintained and professionally directed library of original documents, photographs, and other materials relevant to a wide range of historical interests.
San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library & Museum
The Louis A. Turpen Aviation Library & Museum at San Francisco International Airport is located in an architectural adaptation of the airport's original 1930's passenger lobby. Now in the new International Terminal Building, this outstanding collection focuses on air transport with an emphasis on the West Coast and the Pacific region. Exhibitions, research services, and educational programs are offered to the public free of charge. Exhibits change frequently, and Pan American Airways history plays an integral part in the museum's focus.