Primary Sources
Primary sources can be found in a variety of library tools:
- Catalogs: OskiCat and Melvyl
- Online book and text collections
- Primary Source databases provided by the Library
includes databases for finding newspaper articles, such as Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) or magazine articles, such as Reader's Guide - Vetted sites on the web:
For specific search strategies, see the Library's Guide to Finding Historical Primary Sources
Learn more about your topic in advance:
- names of relevant individuals and organizations
- dates of events
- places
- what terminology was used at the time by participants and observers? (ex: negro or colored instead of african american)
Use the bibliographies of secondary sources and reference sources to find citations to specific primary sources; search OskiCat to locate them on campus, or ask for assistance at the Library.
Sample Searches for Primary Sources in OskiCat
Search OskiCat for primary sources using keywords and adding terms that denote primary sources, such as:
-correspondence
-sources
-diaries
-personal narratives
-interviews
-speeches
-documents
-archives
-newspapers
Examples:
1. (keywords) gay rights sources
(subject) gay rights united states history sources
(keywords) mexican american* vietnam* personal narratives
2. Search individuals as author AND as subjects:
(author) chavez, cesar
(subject) chavez, cesar
author: mattachine society
4. Also try limiting by date:
advanced keyword
(keywords) homosexuality
language: english
years: 1945 to 1970
sort by date
5. limit by format:
(keywords) american indian movement pull down "entire collection" menu to "sound recordings"
Sample Searches - Primary Source Databases
Library home > Electronic Resources > By Type > Archival Collections and Primary Sources > Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives
Browse > Browse Subjects > Themes (examples: gay and lesbian movements; women's movements)
or
Search > All Subjects: american indian (then select from list)
: alcatraz
: mexican
Primary Source Databases - More Examples
Library databases of primary sources in American history
All library databases of primary sources
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Ethnic News Watch
Indexes over 200 ethnic, minority, and native press publications. Contains news, culture, and history searchable in both English and Spanish. Also includes a retrospective backfile of titles (1960-1989).
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GenderWatch
Includes magazines, academic journals, newspapers, newsletters, books, pamphlets, conference proceedings, and government reports that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas.
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Rock and Roll, Counterculture, Peace and Protest
A collection of original archival material from libraries in Britain and America covering issues such as youth culture, student protest movements, civil rights, women's rights, the Vietnam War, nuclear disarmament and popular culture in Britain and America from 1950 to 1975.
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Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 (WASM)
Contains 110 document projects and archives with almost 4,200 documents, more than 1,000 images, with more than 2,200 primary authors. Collects and analyzes documents and almost images on the history of women and social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000. Also includes links to other websites and a dictionary of social movements and organizations.
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Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)
Includes Chicago Defender (1910-1975). Chicago Tribune (1849-1988). Los Angeles Times (1881-1988). San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922). New York Times (1851-1994) with Index (1851-1993). Wall Street Journal (1889-1994). Washington Post (1877-1995).
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Readers' Guide Retrospective
Covers more than 500 leading American magazines and journals from 1890 to 1982.
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ProQuest Congressional
One stop shopping for U.S. congressional publications. Provides index and abstracts of congressional publications back to 1789, including full text of published Congressional Hearings from 1824-present (unpublished until 1979), full text Committee Prints from 1830-present, full text Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports from 1916-present, full text United States Congressional Serial Set (and its various former titles) from 1789-present, and legislative histories from 1970-present.
Primary Sources - Authoritative Web Sites
Library of Congress: American Memory
Browse by Topic: (example: Native American History, Women's History)
A searchable and browseable resource that brings together historical materials from a variety of California institutions, including museums, historical societies, and archives. Contains over 120,000 images; 50,000 pages of documents, letters, and oral histories; and 8,000 guides to collections. Images are organized into thematic and institutional collections, such as historical topics, nature, places, and technology.
Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement
A multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. Contains all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955, and summaries of major cases going back to the courts founding. The Project also provides biographical information on all justices and offers a virtual reality 'tour' of portions of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of some of the justices.