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Arts & Humanities Library
Many issues of key Pennsylvania history journals are freely available online through a cooperative digitization effort:
The News and Microforms Library web site lists Pennsylvania newspapers currently available in the Pattee/Paterno Libraries. Use NewsCAT to discover additional newspapers. Our collection is particularly strong in historic Pennsylvania newspapers.
Many historical news sources are now online, far too many to list. Places to start.
| Newspaper | City | State | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Centinel | Gettysburg | Pennsylvania | 1800 – 1889 |
| Gettysburg Compiler | Gettysburg | Pennsylvania | 1860 – 1949 |
| Pittsburgh Press | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 1880 – 1999 |
| Reading Eagle | Reading | Pennsylvania | 1860 – 2010 |
| Republican Compiler | Gettysburg | Pennsylvania | 1810 – 1889 |
| Star and Sentinel | Gettysburg | Pennsylvania | 1860 – 1959 |
NewspaperArchive.com offers selected full-text newspapers online. Searching is free, but there is a charge for viewing the text online.
Use the free version of WorldCAT to search for newspapers owned by libraries worldwide. Not every library participates in WorldCAT, but it can help identify places to start. The Library of Congress' Newspaper Directory also has information on historical newspapers. To discover newspapers not online consult:
To find books and other materials at Penn State use the library’s catalog, The CAT. Use “I Want it” to request items from other campuses.
General Works on Pennsylvania History
In some cases you will discover Penn State does not have the book you need. Use WorldCat to search for materials in libraries worldwide. Use the “Request via ILL” link in WorldCAT to have items delivered to you. For additional options see our "Interlibrary Loan" page
Online Books
Early American Imprints Series I. Evans (1639-1800)
Digitized facsimiles of books, pamphlets, and broadsides produced before 1800 in the American colonies and the early United States. Derived from Charles Evans's American Bibliography, and other sources, it is a fundamental resource for early Pennsylvania history.
Early American Imprints II: Shaw-Shoemaker 1801-1819
Provides full-text access to some 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the early nineteenth century. The works cover all aspects of American life, including scientific thought, religion, politics, arts and literature, economics, Indian relations, military affairs, Westward expansion and more.
Early English Books Online (1475-1700)
Early English Books Online contains over 125,000 publications listed in Pollard's and Redgrave’s Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing’s Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), and the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661).
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
Full texts and images of titles and editions printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800
Google Book Search — This digital index to the contents of over 10 million English language books is created from the contents of CIC university libraries and others.
Hathi Trust Digital Library — A digital catalog and repository created by research libraries.
PA's Past: Digital Bookshelf
An online collection of historical works, including Pennsylvania county histories, atlases, illustrated works, Civil War histories, writings by and about prominent Pennsylvanians, and publications produced by state and local historical agencies.
Women's History Online, 1543-1945 (Gerritsen Collection)
Full text books, pamphlets and periodicals reflecting the evolution of feminist consciousness and the movement for women's rights through 1945.
Bibliography of Pennsylvania History Find a copy
A list of works (books and journals) about PA History. Continued by: Bibliography of Pennsylvania History: A Supplement
Guide to the History of Pennsylvania Find a copy
A collection of essays describing themes in Pennsylvania history.
Keystone Treasures: A Guide to Museums and Historical Organizations in Pennsylvania Find a copy
Penn State and Centre County Materials in the Rare Books Room and Pennsylvania Historical Collections and Labor Archives.
Call #Z5816.P4S75, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
Guide to African American Resources at the Pennsylvania State Archives
Call # E185.93.P41H63, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2.
Guide to Photographs at the Pennsylvania State Archives
Call # CD3474.P472 1993, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2
Guide to the Manuscript Groups in the Pennsylvania State Archives
Call # CD3474.P45, Arts & Humanities Reference Collection, Pattee Stacks Level 2
Additional information can be found at: PSU Special Collections, Pennsylvania State Archives and the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission
The library has acquired many collections pertaining to the history of Pennsylvania. Some of these require the use of printed guides. Unless otherwise indicated, the items below are located in the News and Microforms Library, Ground Floor, West Pattee. Consult Microfinder for a larger listing of major collections in microformat. Most original copies of documents are kept in the Special Collections Library.
Access Pennsylvania Digital Repository
A statewide service on behalf of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. Includes digitized collections created by libraries and other entities located throughout Pennsylvania.
Civil War Collections
Links to Penn State and other collections.
Digitized Pennsylvania Historic Newspapers
The State Library of Pennsylvania continues to add digitized copies of historical Pennsylvania newspapers to the AccessPA Digital Repository.
Directory of Digitized Pennsylvania Newspapers
Aguide to historical Pennsylvania newspapers that have been digitized.
Explore PA History
A set of documents and essays centered around PA's state historical markers.
Penn State Digitized Collection
Free online resources documenting Pennsylvania History. Includes historical maps, county histories, civil war newspapers, and scholarly journals.
Pennsylvania Archives (find in the CAT)
Volumes are Available Online
Contains records from the "Colonial Records" and "Pennsylvania Archives" series. A brief description of the contents of the volumes is online. For a more complete description of the collection see the Guide to the Published Archives of Pennsylvania (find in the CAT)
Pennsylvania's Documentary Heritage
Created by the Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission.
Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. Papers
Microfilm A52, Microfilm A253, Guide: Call # BX7642.P4P2 1976. The collection documents the activities of the organization and contains primary sources pertaining to the abolition movement. Later emphasis was on civil rights, education and employment.
Published American Colonial Records
Call # FILM D164, Guide: Call # Z1237.P82. A collection of the most important published colonial and state records from their beginnings to about 1800.
Historic American Buildings Survey. Pennsylvania
Call # Micro 4 HABS. Photographs and written descriptions, prepared by the Historic American Buildings Survey, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, National Park Service. Arranged by counties.
Pennsylvania (Colony). Records of the Provincial Council 1682-1776
Call # FILM A53, Guide: Call # F146.P45. Reproduction of the manuscript Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania along with published Minutes of the Provincial Council, and the Executive and Crown Correspondence of the Governor-in-General (referred to as the Papers of the Provincial Council).
Pictorial History Pictorial Collections
Three Mile Island Collection
Videotapes, reports, and photographs that were generated during the 1979-1990 cleanup and recovery of the Three Mile Island 2 (TMI-2) nuclear reactor
Times of Sorrow and Hope
A catalog of Pennsylvania photographs from 1935-1946. Includes links to online photos.
Unearthing the Past: Student Research on Pennsylvania History
A collaborative effort between the library and the Penn State History Department. Essays are written by history students at Penn State and provide an introduction to a unique and interesting episode in Pennsylvania History. Select the primary source documents to see historical events through the eyes of people who were there.
The easiest way to locate a biography is to do a Subject search in The CAT. Enter the name of the person as a subject. For autobiographies do an Author search.
Many people are not famous enough to have entire books devoted to them (or you may not want to read an entire book!) In these cases your best bet is to consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia. Typically these sources provide a brief essay (a paragraph to a few pages) summarizing the individual's life and accomplishments. The library has hundreds, if not thousands, of these sources. The ones below will get you started.
Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography.
Call # F148.E58. Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee. Selected volumes online.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
An online index to biographies published in biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries on all topics/regions/disciplines.
American National Biography Online
Offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. Includes many prominent Pennsylvanians.
The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
Many back issues are freely available online. Penn State uses can access additional years on JSTOR.
Pennsylvania Scrap Book Necrology
(Obituaries from circa 1891-1904, mostly of PA Civil War veterans).
The library has acquired materials by and about prominent Pennsylvanians including Albert Gallatin, Joseph Priestley, Mary Grew, and William Penn.; To determine if the library has sources for the person you are interested in try a keyword search in CAT
using their name as author.
Many personal papers are NOT published and can only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents. The Useful Web Sites section of this guide contains links to libraries focusing on Pennsylvania History.
Archival Resources
Enables searching for archival materials from over 150 institutions. The records contain detailed information about collection contents, organization and accessibility.
ArchivesUSA
A subject guide to special collections in archives across the country.
Pennsylvania History - More Information
