Finding Speeches

Locating speeches can be challenging.
Below is a list of key resources and strategies you can use to begin your search.
If you are having difficulty locating a specific speech, ask at any library service desk for assistance.

Collections | Presidential Documents | Newspapers, magazines, journals | Web Resources

To find collections of speeches in the Penn State Libraries:

Search the CAT (Penn State Libraries' online catalog) using the subject heading "Speeches, addresses, etc."

Complete Speech Collections

Vital Speeches of the Day
Call number: PN6121.V52
Pattee Library Stacks, Level 3 (vol. 1 [1934] - to the present)
Vital speeches of the day is also available full-text (1999 to the present) via ProQuest.

American Orators before 1900 : critical studies and sources edited by Bernard K. Duffy and Halford R. Ryan
Call number: PN4055.U5A4 1987
Arts & Humanities Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library

American Orators of the Twentieth Century : critical studies and sources edited by Bernard K. Duffy and Halford R. Ryan
Call number: PN4193.P6A44 1987
Arts & Humanities Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library

Historical Speeches through Transcripts (CD-ROM set)
Call number: PN1621.H57 2001
Social Sciences Library CD-ROM collection, 2nd Floor Paterno Library.

Index to American Women Speakers, 1828-1978 Beverly Manning
Call number: Z1231.O7M36
Arts & Humanities Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library

We Shall be Heard: an index to speeches by American women, 1978 to 1985 Beverly Manning
Call number: Z1231.O7M37 1988
Arts & Humanities Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library

Voices of Multicultural America : notable speeches delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans, 1790-1995 Deborah Gillan Straub, editor
Call number: PS663.M55V64 1996
Arts and Humanities Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library

Presidential Documents

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, 1929-
Call number: J80.A283
Social Sciences Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Paterno Library
Speeches, press conferences, and public papers of each president. Issued annually. Also available online via the Government Printing Office

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
Call number: J80.A284
Social Sciences Library Reference Collection, 2nd Floor, Paterno Library
Updates the Public Papers of the President between volumes. Also available online via the Government Printing Office

Newspapers, Magazines, and Scholarly Journals

Newspapers and magazines sometimes pick up key speeches, particularly from prominent political figures. The databases listed below are important sources for locating very current speeches.

ProQuest
Provides access to summaries of articles from over 5,000 publications, including a wide variety of periodicals, newspapers, and business sources. Many articles are available in full-text.
ProQuest also provides the full-text of Vital Speeches of the Day (1999-Present).

America's Newspapers (NewsBank) provides full-text access to a variety of other newspapers from throughout the U.S. This resource is especially useful for finding regional/local coverage of a specific speech.

LexisNexis Academic
LexisNexis Academic is a full-text database containing newspapers, transcripts, magazines, and case law materials.

Web Resources on Public Speaking

Collections of Speeches

Presidential / Political Speeches

Speeches by Business Leaders

Speeches by Company Executives