Boards, research & planning
Save every article, archive, and reference for the event you're digging into
Civil War battles, local disasters, family genealogy, true-crime rabbit holes — not another folder of blue links.
Researching a historical event? Clip newspaper archives, library finding aids, documentary links, map collections, and historian interviews into topic sections — with notes on what each source proves. Keep it private while you work, or share one link with your history club, class project partner, or podcast co-host.
The problem
Sound familiar? These are the pain points people search for before they find a better way.
- Dozens of archive tabs open with no structure
- Can't remember which newspaper clipping proved what date
- Forwarding links in email loses context and notes
- No shared board for a class project or history club
What you get
File by source type
Newspapers, government records, photos, books — sections that match how historians actually research.
Notes & quotes
Jot what each link proves, page numbers, and whether you've verified it yet.
Clip while you browse
Highlight text on an archive page, click the bookmarklet — URL and quote land in your note.
Share the board
Send one link to a co-author, podcast partner, or genealogy cousin — they add without signing up.
How it works
- 1
Name your event
Create a Plan together Lyst — flood of 1887, battle of Gettysburg, your family's immigration story.
- 2
Add topic sections
Newspapers, Records, Maps & photos, Books & documentaries, Open questions.
- 3
Save as you dig
Paste URLs from Add Ref or the bookmarklet — archive.org, library catalogs, YouTube docs.
- 4
Share when ready
Turn on contributions and send the link to anyone helping you research.
Built for
People also search for
Common questions and keywords — if you typed these into Google, you're in the right place.
- how to organize links for history research
- save sources for a historical event
- history research link collection
- organize newspaper archives for local history
- share history research with a friend
Frequently asked questions
- Is this only for professional historians?
- No. History buffs, genealogy hobbyists, students, podcasters, and local-history volunteers use the same board — organized links with notes, not a dissertation tool.
- Can I keep my research private?
- Yes. Unlisted Lysts only open for people with the link — they don't appear in Discover or search.
- Can my research partner add links?
- Yes. Enable contributions and anyone with the link can add Refs and notes without a ReferLyst account.
- How is this different from browser bookmarks?
- Bookmarks are flat and solo. ReferLyst gives you topic sections, previews, notes, and one link you can share with a club or co-author.
Related platform solution
News source organizer
Clip quotes, file by beat, share one desk link — revisit when the story returns.
Read the full solutionRelated use cases
Start your history event research on ReferLyst
Free forever on the starter plan. No website required — live in minutes.