Books
To find book primary sources, use library catalogs like Barton and WorldCat.
- Subheadings
such as "correspondence," "sources," "biography," and "speeches" can
point to primary sources.
- Pair these subheadings with keywords or
topical subject headings in Barton to identify relevant sources in the
MIT Libraries.
- See this table for other possible subheadings.
Historical Newspapers
- NewspaperArchive.com Thousands of newspapers, available in full-page facsimile, with searchable full text. Most are U.S. titles, with some international coverage, and most are fairly small-circulation newspapers. 1759-present.
- Atlanta Constitution Historical Archive 1868-1929
- Boston Globe Historical Archive 1872-1922
- Chicago Tribune Historical Archive 1849-1985
- Los Angeles Times Historical Archive 1881-1985
- New York Times Historical Archive 1851-2002
- Wall Street Journal Historical Archive 1889-1987
- Washington Post Historical Archive 1877-1988
- Boston Central Public Library - Copley Square An excellent resource for US and foreign newspapers, many of which are archived from their inception. This page lists BPL historical newspaper holdings on microfilm.
Historical Periodicals
- Reader's Guide Retrospective (1890-1982) Indexing and abstracting for many general interest magazines. Great source for historical material on the 20th-century.
- Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1902) A print index that covers general periodical literature.
Humanities Reference AI3.P822 1893. - JSTOR A full-text scholarly journal archive, back to vol. 1, issue 1, in many fields.
- PAIS Archive (1915-1976) This database consists of indexing and abstracting of articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, book chapters, and statistical directories about public affairs.
Contemporary Newspapers and Periodicals
- LexisNexis Academic Full text of many newspapers and periodicals.
- Readers' Guide Abstracts (1983-present) Includes indexing, abstracting and some links to full-text for many general interest magazines.
- Proquest Research Library Indexes thousands of journals, newspapers and magazines in a broad range of subjects. Many articles are available in full text.
- Ethnic NewsWatch (1990-present) A full-text collection of newspapers, journals and magazines published by ethnic and minority presses.
Government Information
- Declassified Documents Reference System Online access to over 500,000 pages of previously classified government documents, covering major international events from the Cold War to the Vietnam War and beyond.
- Digital National Security Archive (1945-present) A collection of primary documents central to US foreign and military policy since 1945. More than 35,000 declassified documents have been gathered through use of the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- LexisNexis Congressional Indexing and abstracts for U.S. congressional publications. Full text of reports, bills, public laws, & legislative histories and links to selected full-text documents, committee prints, & hearings testimony. Indexing: from 1789. Full text: from mid-1980s
- U.S. Government Information Research Guide This guide describes how to find U.S. government information in the MIT Libraries.
- Political Science Subject Guide: Congressional Publications This guide describes how to find U.S. Congressional publications at the MIT Libraries and beyond.
Statistics
- Historical Statistics of the United States Compendium of US historical statistics from over 1000 sources, plus scholarly essays. Tables can be viewed in PDF/HTML & downloaded in Excel or CSV.
- Roper Center for Public Opinion Research Archive of data from public opinion surveys. Download data from their catalog or search IPoll, their question-level database of survey results.
Maps
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Geographic Information Systems enable users to visualize and analyze spatial information in a dynamic, digital environment. GIS Lab staff are available to help students use GIS data and mapping.
- Social Explorer Visually displays the demographic change that has occurred in the US since 1790 through the present, from country through county level.
- Sanborn Maps of Massachusetts Digitized maps of cities & towns in Massachusetts that show building footprints, building use, addresses, parks, cemeteries, industrial uses & more. 1867-1970.
Collected Primary Sources
Publishers put together collections of different kinds of primary sources (everything from letters to speeches to legal documents) around a topic. The MIT Libraries has these kinds of collections in print and online.
- Major Problems in American History Series In Barton, do a "Series Title begins with" search for "Major problems in American history series." This will turn up 20 titles about various topics, time periods, and events in U.S. history.
- Oxford African American Studies Center Over 300 annotated primary sources in black history, from letters to speeches to legal documents, from the 17th century to contemporary documents. Click on "browse" to see the documents by time period or topic.
Images
- ARTstor A digital library of nearly one million images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences.
Diaries, Letters, and Oral Histories
- In the First Person Index to thousands of oral histories and other personal narratives, with links to full-text, audio & video. Covers both free and subscription sites.
Primary Sources Outside of the MIT Libraries
- See also free web sites with primary sources
- Other members of the Boston Library Consortium (esp. Boston Public
Library, Tufts University, and Boston College) have many important
digitized collections--pay them a visit!
- Guide to digitized primary sources at Boston Public Library
- Guides to digitized primary sources at other BLC Libraries:
- For more strategies and information on finding primary sources in history, see this draft guide.
Subject Guide |
Michelle BaildonContact Info:
Humanities Library
Room 14S-222
617-253-9352
Send Email
Subjects:
Anthropology, History, Philosophy, and Science, Technology, & Society
Humanities Library
Room 14S-222
617-253-9352
Send Email
Subjects:
Anthropology, History, Philosophy, and Science, Technology, & Society
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