Penn State University Libraries - History

Primary Sources

Primary Source Databases

Primary Sources in the Penn State Libraries - Print and Microforms

Access to Archives and Manuscripts not at Penn State 

Primary sources are created around the time of an event, or by someone who witnessed the event. Examples include newspapers, letters, diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, etc...    For advice on finding and evaluating primary sources on the Internet, see Using Primary Sources on the Web.

Primary Source Databases

• Historical Newspapers  (online databases, plus historical news in other formats)
• Historical E-Book Collections (digital versions of early books)
• Digitized Collections at Penn State (content developed by the PSU Libraries)

American Broadsides and Ephemera
Broadsides created from 1820 to 1900 and printed ephemera from between 1760 and 1900

Archives Unbound
Specialized document collections, including collections on European history, World War II and the Holocaust, Chinese history, Latin American history and the U.S. Civil War. 

Black Abolitionist Papers 
Letters, speeches, editorials, articles, sermons, and essays written by African Americans actively involved in the movement to end slavery in the U.S. between 1830 and 1865.)

British History Online
Core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Most of the documents are freely available to all, but some require a subscription. Penn State does not have access to the premium (subscription) content.

CHANT - Chinese Ancient Texts
Full-text of early Chinese texts

Civil War Letters and Diaries
Full-text of writings from over 400 authors, as well as related materials

CQ Historic Documents Series
Primary sources covering current events around the world from 1972 to present

Declassified Documents Reference System
Provides online access to previously classified U.S. government documents

Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts
Seminal works from the Reformation and post-Reformation eras

Digital Library of the Catholic Reformation
Full-text of key works from the 16th and 17th centuries

Digital National Security Archive
Texts of declassified documents regarding major U.S. policy decisions

Empire Online, 1492-1969
Original documents on the history of exploration and colonialism.  Emphasis on the British Empire

European NAvigator
Contains original documents such as photos, audio and video clips and cartoons on the historical and institutional development of a united Europe from 1945 to the present.

Feminism in Cuba, 1898-1958
Primary sources -- texts, letters, essays, radio broadcasts, and memoirs. Most are in Spanish and are written by femininists, or describe conditions for women in Cuba.

History Vault
Organizational records (NAACP Papers, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Revolutionary Action Movement, etc...), and government reports documenting the quest for equality; also includes slavery statutes, plantation records,  records of Women's Rights Organizations, 1880-1990, and records on the Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975.

John Johnson Collection : An Archive of Printed Ephemera
More than 65,000 full-color items drawn from the Bodleian Library and issued from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries. Subjects covered include nineteenth-century entertainment; the book trade; popular prints; crime; and advertising.

Medieval and Early Modern Sources Online
Primary source documents. mostly covering British, Irish, and Scottish history during the years 1100-1800.  Some coverage of continental Europe. 

Middle East Online: Arab-Israeli Relations 1917-1970
Original documents from the British Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to 1970.

Middle East Online: Iraq 1914-1974
Original source material from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers covering the period from the Anglo-Indian landing in Basra in 1914 through the British Mandate in Iraq of 1920-32 to the rise of Saddam Hussein in 1974

Making of Modern Law
Anglo-American legal treatises from 1800-1926

Nineteenth Century Collections Online
Primary sources from libraries and other institutions from around the globe. Currently, collections include *British Politics and Society*; *European Literature, 1790-1840: The Corvey Collection*; *Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange*, and *British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture*.

North American Women: Letters and Diaries
Letters and diaries from Colonial times to around 1950

Patrologia Latina
Electronic version of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina, published between 1844 and 1855, and the four volumes of indexes published between 1862 and 1865. The Patrologia Latina contains the works of the Church Fathers from Tertullian in 200 AD to the death of Pope Innocent III in 1216.

Serial Set (United States) 
Full-text of government publications, including congressional reports, executive and department reports and other documents ordered printed by Congress

Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives, 1960-1974
Chronicles American history through letters, diaries, memoirs, oral histories; posters, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, and other materials.

Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive
18th and 19th century documents; Pamphlets, Books, Correspondence, Newspapers, Legal Documents, Manuscripts, and other materials.  Broiwse titles and limit to Manuscript materials to access over 1 million pages of unpublished archival material produced by pro and anti-slavery organizations and individuals.

Television News Archive (1968-present)
Includes descriptions of news programs.  Some news broadcasts can be viewed online.  For more see our Television News page.

Testaments to the Holocaust
Rare historical material from The Wiener Library, London, providing documentary evidence from many perspectives.  Includes original Nazi propaganda materials, eyewitness accounts, photographic material, and Wiener Library publications.

U.S. Supreme Court: Records and Briefs, 1832-1978
Includes appellant and appellee briefs, amicus briefs, petitions, trial transcripts, and more

Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
Documents and essays on U.S. women’s social movements from colonial times to the present

Women and Social Movements International, 1840-present
Collection of primary source documents (letters, diaries, conference proceedings) tracing women's roles in modern history. 

Women's History Online, 1543-1945 (Gerritsen)
Full text books, pamphlets and periodicals reflecting the evolution of feminist consciousness and the movement for women's rights up to 1945

PRIMARY SOURCES IN THE PENN STATE LIBRARIES

MANY primary sources are not online.  Use The CAT to find early printed books, government documents, maps, videotapes, sound recordings, music scores and many other types of materials.  Limit your CAT search by date to find documents produced near the time of the event you are researching.

The Special Collections Library contains original primary source documents. Many of these can be found in The CAT, but others are not yet listed

The News and Microforms Library contains primary source documents in microformat (microfilm, fiche, etc...)

Below are some keywords you can use in The CAT to locate published primary documents:

Sources (combine with other keywords for document collections, e.g. Middle Ages and sources)

Eyewitness or Personal Narratives (French Revolution and eyewitness)

Letters or Correspondence (add an author's name, e.g. Benjamin Franklin and correspondence)

Diaries/Diary (Works best with the author's name, e.g. Diary and Anne Frank)

Documents or Documentary (combine with a topic, e.g. documentary history and Women)

Collections of Primary Source Documents Not at Penn State

Personal papers and other unpublished primary sources can usually only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents.  These databases and websites will help you discover collections in other libraries, historical societies, and archives.

ArchiveGrid
Descriptive records and detailed finding guides for archival and manuscript collections in U.S. and international institutions.

Archives USA 
A directory and subject listing of archival and manuscript repositories

WorldCat (OCLC)
Access to descriptive records of archival and manuscript collections in the OCLC database

Repositories of Primary Resources (University of Idaho)
Provides links to over 5,300 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary resources

Ready, ’Net, Go! Archival Internet Resources
Includes links to archival Web pages, international archival portals, and archival search engines

Biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias provide brief essays on historical figures.  They are similar in scope to Wikipedia entries, but are written by authorities in the field.   

American National Biography Online
Biographical essays on men and women whose lives shaped the nation

Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Search for brief biographies published in hundreds of specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries.  Use The CAT to find which we own at Penn State.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Biographies of noteworthy men and women who shaped Britain's past.

In addition to the biographical databases, try the section on Historical Encyclopedias and Dictionaries. The library also has an extensive collection of print resources - far too many to list here.  If you are not finding what you need use the contact information on the right sidebar and ask for help!

Statistics

As you read books and articles you will probably encounter statistics. The sources below can help you locate additional statistics, everything from the population of London in 1780 to the amount of wheat grown in Nigeria.

LexisNexis Statistical
Search for statistics published by the federal government (ASI), state organizations and companies (SRI), or international and inter-governmental agencies (IIS)

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Published since 1878 -  the most comprehensive collection of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States

Historical Statistics of the United States (Millennium Edition) 
Compendium of statistics from over 1,000 sources

International Statistics
A list of links to online collections of international statistics.  These sources tend to be strongest for the decades after World War II.  For earlier years, we have statistical compendiums in print:

International Historical Statistics, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, 1750-1993 (find in the CAT)
UP Copy: Call #HA4675.M55 1995, Business Reference Collection, 3rd Floor Paterno

International Historical Statistics, Europe, 1750-2000 (find in the CAT)
UP Copy: Call #HA1107.M5 2003, Social Sciences Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Paterno

International Historical Statistics, the Americas, 1750-2000 (find in the CAT)
UP Copy: Call #HA1755.M55 2003, Social Sciences Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Paterno

For more, try our Statistics page, or use the contact information on the right sidebar to ask for help!

People and Topics - Subject Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Subject encyclopedias are good places to start on your exploration of a topic. They feature brief essays on historical themes, people, places, and events. The essays are similar in scope to Wikipedia entries, but are written by authorities in the field. They will guide you to key articles and books on your topic, and supply important names, dates, and terms that can help you make informed decisions as you progress with your research.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Full-text of hundreds of subject encyclopedias, including dozens of history titles. An excellent starting point for many historical topics

Encyclopaedia of Islam
The major reference resource in the field. "Islam" is broadly defined to include Islamic culture, history, geography, literature, politics, etc.... 

Encyclopedia of American Studies
Essays on the American experience from precolonial times to the present

JapanKnowledge
Japanese encyclopedias, dictionaries and databases.  Most of the materials are in Japanese.

Oxford African American Studies
Essays by scholars with some multimedia content, primary sources, and a historical timeline

Oxford Reference Online
Facts, figures, and definitions from reference works published by Oxford University Press

In addition to online reference databases, the library also has an extensive collection of print resources.  A few examples are below, but there are far too many to list.   If you are not finding what you need use the contact information on the right sidebar and ask for help! 

• Dictionary of Concepts in History (find in the CAT)
  
• Dictionary of Historical Terms (find in the CAT)
• Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing (find in the CAT)
• Encyclopedia of World History (find in the CAT)
• Timetables of History: a Horizontal Linkage of People and Events (find in the CAT)
• Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide (find in the CAT)

Atlases are collections of maps, usually accompanied by text and centered around a theme. There are atlases on topics relating to political history, migration, population, economic conditions, etc...

The majority of the maps and atlases can be located in the Maps Library, B-level Paterno.  A few examples are listed here. 

• Oxford Atlas of World History (find in the CAT)
• Times Atlas of World History (find in the CAT)
• Atlas of World Population History (find in the CAT)
• Historical Atlas of Islam (find in the CAT)
• Atlas of Medieval Europe (find in the CAT)
• Atlas of Slavery (find in the CAT)
  

Major Collections of Primary Sources

American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library

Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy

EuroDocs: Western European Primary Historical Documents

Gallica: Digital Library of the National Library of France

Making of America: 19th c. books and magazines

History Subject Directories

Subject directories provide selected lists of sites. They can be useful to browse to get an overview of the resources on your topic.

Subject directories are useful when you are interested in seeing a broad variety of sources on your topic. Some subject directories include annotations and evaluations of sites. Useful subject directories for history include:

• History Matters: The U.S. Survey on the Web
• History Guide
• World Wide Virtual Library: History

Not sure about the value of something you've found on the web?  Try this guide: Evaluating historical sources on the web