Finding Primary Sources
Primary Sources are:
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A first-hand account or testimony of the past, written during that present moment
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Something that describes the reactions or thoughts of a particular time period
Primary Sources are vastly different across a variety of disciplines, but the basic definition of what a primary source is stays the same - a testimony or an account describing reactions or thoughts from a particular time. How these testimonies take shape is what changes across disciplines.
- Early American Imprints Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 This link opens in a new windowEarly American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 includes all American imprints from the 17th and 18th centuries which were identified in the American Bibliography by Charles Evans and in the Supplement to Evans’ American Bibliography by Roger Bristol. The collection is a foundation set for research involving early American history, literature, philosophy, religion, and more. It is the definitive resource for information about every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, witchcraft, and many other topics.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new windowEarly English Books Online contains about 100,000 of over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave’s Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640 (STC I) and Donald Wing’s A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America, and of English Books Printed in Other Countries, 1641 to 1700 (STC II). EEBO also includes the Thomason Tracts, a compendium of broadsides on the English Civil War printed between 1640 and 1661.
- Eight Centuries This link opens in a new window
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Eight Centuries (formerly 19th Century Masterfile) is a vast database covering source material dating from 1106 until 1960 (varies by source). Eight Centuries aggregates indexes, catalogs, collections, and other finding aids, and includes citations to 9,000 periodicals. Dozens of historically significant indexes are searchable within this database. It offers multidisciplinary coverage of primary materials in the humanities, social sciences, engineering, history of science, law, economics, religion, psychology, government documents, visual arts, music, and the physical sciences. - Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowECCO contains digital images of every page of more than 180,000 books published during the 18th century. A variety of materials are included — from books and directories, Bibles, sheet music and sermons to advertisements—and works by many well-known and lesser-known authors, all providing a diverse collection of material for the researcher of the eighteenth century. The collection is based on the English Short Title Catalogue.
- Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new windowGale Primary Sources is an integrated platform that combines Gale’s digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface. This broadens and enhances the ability to discover primary source documents from multiple collections. This platform combines dozens of historical archives which include monographs, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, and photographs and covers more than 500 hundred of years of history.
- History Commons This link opens in a new windowConsists of various databases: Godey’s Lady’s Book (1830-1865); The Pennsylvania Gazette (1728-1800); The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective (1860-1865); African American Newspapers: The 19th Century; The Pennsylvania Newspaper Record: Delaware County (1819-1870); The Pennsylvania Genealogy Catalogue: Chester County (1809-1870); the South Carolina Gazette.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Provides access to many millions of journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.
Artstor images incorporated into JSTOR as of 8/1/2024.
- Past Masters This link opens in a new windowPast Masters is a collection of primary-source full-text humanities databases. Past Masters titles are usually comprised of the complete works of individual authors.
- World's Fairs and Expositions: Visions of Tomorrow This link opens in a new windowWorld’s Fairs and Expositions: Visions of Tomorrow gives researchers access to primary source documents about landmark exhibits from 1843 to 1940. With content types ranging from organizational and administrative records to postcards to Books of the Fairs and watercolors from the exhibitions, this archive captures the spirit, technology, design, and innovations that influenced the modern world.
- Digital Public Library of America This link opens in a new windowThe Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is an open access collection of more than 29 million images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States. DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more—are free and immediately available in digital format. The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to our nation’s largest cultural institutions.
- Calisphere - A World of Digital Resources“A world of primary sources and more.” The University of California's free public gateway to a world of primary sources. More than 150,000 digitized items—including photographs, documents, newspaper pages, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and other unique cultural artifacts—reveal the diverse history and culture of California and its role in national and world history.
- Center for Research LibrariesThe University of Delaware Library is a member of CRL and CRL materials may be obtained on interlibrary loan by qualified University of Delaware borrowers.
- Cornell University - Science & TechnologyAlthough not all of their books are digitally accessible, there are several collections linked at the bottom of the page.
- Europeana CollectionsA collection focused on the history of Europe showing primary sources from seven European countries.
- G. Robert Vincent Voice LibraryA site with more than 100,000 spoken word and song recordings. It features RealAudio and MP3 recordings of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), contains Nazi Radio recordings and more.
- Hagley Digital ArchiveThis local Delaware archive and library has unparalleled collections on technology, industry, and science. Most notable are the collection of trade magazines, space collections, and oral histories from the local mushroom industry. This collection is worth a physical visit.
- History of Science Sourcebook - Fordham UniversityList of open access resources from Fordham University on the History of Science, divided by countries.
- Huntington CollectionsIn addition to having a rich collection of British and American History 11th century to the present, the Huntington has a great collection of live botanical archives.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsFreely available digitized materials from the Library of Congress, including the collections formerly called American Memory. Change the area that you are searching under to the Prints & Photographs Division.
- The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) - Digital CollectionsThis includes direct links to popular digital collections housed at NARA, but it also includes links to other digitized collections around the country.
- New York Public Library Digital CollectionsAlthough NYPL has a New York History focus, it has a rich collection on a variety of topics ranging from a local to an international focus.
Archives Are for All
At one time, Archives were restricted to serious researchers only. Archives have become increasingly open to any and all researchers. As long as you have a collection in mind to research, most Archives are open to any type of scholar, regardless of your level.
Please be aware that at most institutions, you will need to make a research appointment BEFORE you go. Visit the Archives' website to see how you can visit the collection in person.