Tip Sheet for Finding Primary Source Materials
| Primary Sources in the UA Catalog & WorldCat | Primary Sources that are On-Line Images | Primary Sources by Region |
| Primary Sources that are Historical Texts | Primary Sources that are Newspapers |
Primary Sources in the UA Catalog:
What are primary sources? Finding Primary Sources on the Web? Evaluating primary sources.
An instructional page about how to identify, find and evaluate primary sources.
- On the keyword search page, type your major search topic into the top line.
- In second line change “Any Field” to "Subject.”
- Type any of the following into the Search Box:
Sources, Interviews, Personal Narratives, statistics, diaries, correspondence, biography, Archives . Please note, “biography” includes both autobiographies and secondary works. - You can search more than one of these by putting "or" between words. e.g. sources or personal narratives or interviews.
- Autobiographical information can be found by changing “Any Field” to "Author" and typing in the name of the person.
- Early Works can be used to search for Primary Sources from before 1800.
The world's largest union catalog of books, manuscripts and other materials held in libraries worldwide. The InterLibrary Loan request form is part of the database. Use the same "official" terminology you used in the UA Library Catalog.
- On the keyword search page, type your major search topic into the top line.
- In second line change “Any Field” to "Subject.”
- Type any of the following into the Search Box:
Sources, Interviews, Personal Narratives, statistics, diaries, correspondence, biography, Archives . Please note, “biography” includes both autobiographies and secondary works. - You can search more than one of these by putting "or" between words. e.g. sources or personal narratives or interviews.
- Autobiographical information can be found by changing “Any Field” to "Author" and typing in the name of the person.
- Early Works can be used to search for Primary Sources from before 1800.
Maps are also primary sources. To find maps -
- Search by country name or region [subject] and Maps [subject] and limit by dates
- Atlases of historical maps can be found by searching the country or region [subject] and historical geography [subject] and maps [subject]
e.g. baja [subject] and maps [subject] and after 1900 before 1930 - germany [subject] and historical geography [subject] and maps [subject] (finds historical atlases)
Primary Sources that are Historical Texts
American Periodicals Series Online 1740-1900 Web access through UA library
Over 1,100 periodicals that first began publishing in 1740 and 1900, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically -significant periodicals.
Congressional Universe Web access through UA library
Index to Government hearings, reports and the Serial Set from 1789- present, as well as digitized full text.
Early English Books online (EEBO) Web Access through the UA Library
Full digitization of all books and other publications English from 1475-1700.
ECCO (Eighteenth Century Collections Online) Web Access through the UA Library
A full-text database which includes every significant monograph published between 1701 and 1800 in the English language and also every significant monograph in any language printed in the British Empire during this period, all first editions published during the period 1701-1800.
Evans Digital Edition 1639-1800 Web access through UA library
Full text of early American imprints, based upon the renowned American Bibliography by Charles Evans. Fully searchable as well as organized by genre such as Almanacs, Broadsides, Devotional literature, Travel guides, Plays, etc.
Nineteenth Century in Print
Collection of over 1,500 digitized books from the 19th century in all subject areas, and full-text of 23 periodicals including: Scientific American, Scribner's, Harper's New Monthly Magazine, and The Galaxy. Periodical titles cover the dates 1815-1901.
Periodical Archives On-line
Contains over 400 journals, published between 1802 and the 1990s, representing over 1.2 million articles.
Primary Sources that are On-Line Images
Images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II. Created by Duke University from images in its advertising collection.
American Memory Project
From the Library of Congress; includes photographs from the National Archives.
Archive of Early American Images.
A database of pictures of the colonial Americas, from Hudson Bay to Tierra del Fuego, based entirely on primary sources printed or created between 1492 and ca. 1825. Use "Search Archive"
AP Photo Archive Web access through UA library
Over 400,000 contemporary and selected historical images from the archive of the Associated Press.
ARTstor Web access through UA library
A repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images and related data
Life Photo Archive stretches from 1750 to today.
Primary Sources that are Newspapers
HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS
America's Historical Newspapers Web access through UA library
A digitized collection: early American newspapers including titles from all 50 present states. Includes: Early American Newspapers, Series 1 (1690 - 1876), Early American Newspapers, Series 2 (1758 - 1900) and Early American Newspapers, Series 3 (1829 - 1922).
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Full text and full image of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from October 26, 1841 to December 31, 1902.
Chicago Defender (Proquest 1909-1975) Chicago Defender (Chadwyck Black Studies Center 1910-1975) - Web access through UA library
The full text backfile of the influential black newspaper. The Chadwyck version combines several resources for research in Black Studies: Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, International Index to Black Periodicals (IIBP), The Chicago Defender, and the Black Literature Index.
Chicago Tribune (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) Web access through UA library
Full text and full image searching and retrieving of the Chicago Tribune, 1849-1986.
The Times (London) Web access through UA library
Full text of all of the entire Times. Covers 1785-1984. One can view the entire page or specific article. The contents of this newspaper are completely searchable.
Proquest Historical Newspapers (New York Times, 1851 - 3 years ago, LA Times, 1881-1986, Atlanta Constitution,1868-1942, Chicago Tribune, 1849-1986, Washington Post, 1877-1992) Web access through UA library
Full text and full image searching and retrieving of all these newspapers simultaneously.
Nineteenth Century Masterfile (Poole's Plus) (1802-1906) Web access through UA library
Index to American and British publications,the New York Times (1863-1905), New York Daily Tribune (1875-1906), and government publications (1774-1881). Links to some full text.
Primary Sources by Region
SOURCES FOR THE AMERICAS:
Go to the Subject Guide for U.S. History http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/us/primary.html
SOURCES FOR ARIZONA:
Go to the Subject Guide for U.S. History http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/us/primary.html
SOURCES FOR EUROPE, LATIN AMERICA, AFRICA AND ASIA, as well as for the Ancient World and Medieval Europe.
http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/classical/primary.html
http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/europe/earlymodern/primary.html
http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/europe/modern/primary.html
http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/latin/primary.html
http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/subjects/history/europe/medieval/primary.html