HISTORY 201: The Historian's Craft: History of the Suburb in USA (Spring 2024) : Find Primary Sources
What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs or oral histories. They enable researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period to help them understand and interpret the past. (See definition from the American Library Association's Reference & User Services Association's History Section.)
Some examples of types and formats for primary sources include:
- Books such as personal narratives, memoirs, and autobiographies, collected works, and collections of documents (these may be edited and published after the historical event or time period)
- Journal, magazine, and newspaper articles
- Government publications
- Archival sources such as diaries, interviews, letters, photographs, video recordings, and other media
- Interested in learning more about archives and how to use them? Check out this tutorial.
Finding Primary Sources in Books (in the Library Catalog)
Use the tips below to search the Library Catalog for books that contain primary sources.
- Words in Catalog records may identify an item as a primary source. Search for format-related words like advertisements, autobiographies, correspondence, documents, interviews, journal, letters, manuscripts, personal narratives, sources, speeches, etc. You can combine a primary source format word with words describing your topic (for example, letters and Lincoln, diaries and civil war)
- To find diaries, letters, autobiographies, personal papers, etc. by a particular person, search for the person's name as an author.
- Use the "Years" drop-down to filter results to those published during a time period.
Selected Primary Source Digital Collections
General interest periodicals or magazines can be useful primary sources. Below are a few of the databases with magazines. Most can be found on the History - U.S./Canada subject page. More can be found on the Historical/Primary Sources Databases page.
- Readers’ Guide Retrospective (1890-1982)Readers' Guide Retrospective is a database containing the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America.
- Harpers Magazine Archive (1850-present)Harper's Magazine Archive provides searchable, full-text access to every issue of Harper's Magazine from 1850 to the present. Harper's Magazine is a monthly general-interest magazine covering literature, politics, culture and the arts; it is the second oldest continuously-published monthly magazine in the United States.
- New Yorker Archive (1925-present)The New Yorker Archive provides access to every page of The New Yorker going back to its first issue in 1925. The New Yorker is a weekly magazine with a mix of reporting on national and international politics and culture, profiles of people, humor and cartoons, fiction and poetry, and reviews and criticism of books, movies, theatre, classical and popular music, television, art, and fashion.
- Women's Magazine Archive (1846-2005)Backfiles of leading women's interest consumer magazines from the late-19th century through to 2005.
Research Guides
See the Research Guides below for more information about primary sources. The Research Guides include many more online resources including ones with historical journals, magazines and newspapers and documents.
Finding Newspapers
Newspapers can be useful primary sources. Below are a few of the databases with historical newspapers. If these don't address your needs, check out the History - U.S./Canada page or Newspapers research guide.
- Ethnic NewsWatch (1960-present)Newspapers, magazines and journals of ethnic, minority and native press, from Asian-American, Jewish, African-American, Native-American, Arab-American, Eastern-European, Latino, multi-ethnic communities.
- NewspaperARCHIVE - Wisconsin newspapers (1830-2000)Wisconsin historical newspapers archive from the 1800s–2000s containing thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers from around Wisconsin. (Updates vary)
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune (1849-1998)This version of The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Daily Tribune includes full-text and full-image articles since its beginning year. In addition to news stories, the database includes editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photos, and advertisements.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times (1851–2014)Searchable full image of every page of the New York Daily Times and New York Times including all advertisements.
Websites with Digital Collections
- Digital Public Library of AmericaThis an online portal that provides access to digitized collections from libraries, archives, and museums around the country.
- Wisconsin Historical Society Online CollectionsThis website provides access to 33 separate digital collections from the Wisconsin Historical Society.