The Imperial War Museum's Collections Online database contains over 150,000 records relating to items in the collections. It is not a complete set of records of all the museum's holdings but offers a great deal of information.  The present database covers the collections of documents; film; printed books and sound in detail.  The records for items in these collections will continue to grow. Selections of records covering art, exhibits, photographs, and the aircraft & vehicles collection are included in the database. Records for all collections are used to illustrate the nine main themes selected to feature on this site.  Each theme contains sub-themes illustrated by selections of material from each of the collections.  The records from all the collections can be interrogated and displayed using the 'All Records' search screen.

The following information gives a more detailed breakdown of information on how each collection is represented in the database:

There are over 22,000 catalogue records of film and video material in the Collections Online database.  This represents approximately 40% of the films held in the Film and Video Archive of the Imperial War Museum.

Some subject areas are fully covered by the online database, for example the First World War, while for others the information currently available covers only a small proportion of the films held, such as the campaign in Italy in the Second World War.

Information on other material held by the Film and Video Archive can be found on other sources (such as card indexes) held in the Archive together with associated documentation. This information may be researched by prior appointment.

There are over 21,000 records of sound recordings and oral history interviews available in the database.  Approximately 340 of these have short sound extracts that you can download and play. These are intended as an indication of the historical content of the interview, etc.

The collection continues to grow and the records in the database will be added to, to reflect this process.

There are over 12,000 catalogue records of documents in the Collections Online database. This represents 65% of the British and Commonwealth Private Papers collection held in the Department of Documents of the Imperial War Museum.

Of these online records, approximately 150 have additional item-level catalogues available.  Information on other material held by the Department of Documents, including its extensive collection of captured German records dating mainly from the Second World War, can be obtained by contacting the Department direct.

There are over 4600 records of works of art from the museum's collections.  Many of these (about 1400) are illustrated with images.

There are over 400 records of three-dimensional exhibits available in the database.  Many of these (about 100) are illustrated with images.

There are over 83,000 records of books and printed material available in the database.  These records include leaflets, pamphlets, journals, etc.

The Imperial War Museum Photograph Archive is a huge resource of more than 8 million photographs. The online database currently summarises most of these images in groups. To assist researchers, many popular photographs are also catalogued individually and accompanied by thumbnail images. Database searches will display details of individual photographs followed by records of relevant groups. It is possible to purchase copies of photographs with thumbnail images by using the 'My Order' facility in the View or Order Image screen.

There are currently 180 records of Aircraft, Vehicles and Aero Engines in the online database.