Legacy offers access to millions of documents from tobacco industry files that were once secret through the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library.

As a result of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the attorneys general from 46 states, five US territories and the tobacco industry that helped establish Legacy, the tobacco industry was compelled to post millions of its internal documents on the Internet.

The Legacy Tobacco Documents Library allows these collections to be searched through a user-friendly interface. Users can perform simple or advanced searches, view documents in a variety of image formats (PDF, TIF, or web browser) and collect findings in a digital bookbag that can be downloaded or emailed. Information on topics related to the documents is also included, such as the history of tobacco, litigation, tobacco use and health and youth smoking.

Ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s, the documents cover projects central to the tobacco industry such as marketing, research and development, cigarette analysis and design, as well as industry efforts to establish business in developing countries.

The Legacy Tobacco Documents Library is maintained by the UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management and is funded by Legacy.