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Selected Primary Source Material for Historical Research
Guides to Source Materials
- Directory of Archive and Manuscript Repositories in the U.S.
(REF. CD3020D491988) - National Union Catalog: Manuscript Collections
(REF. Z6620U5N3) - Guide to the Manuscript Groups in the Pennsylvania State Archives
(REF. CD347P4)
Newspapers and Newspaper Indexes
- Readex Collection of Early American Newspapers
This contains, on microcard, many 18th and 19th century American newspapers. Index available in Reference collection, REF. AN20.K41990 - New York Times Newspaper and Index
Library has index from 1851 to present and newspapers from 1857 to present - London Times Newspaper and Index
Library has index and newspaper from 1785 to 1982 - Wall St. Journal Newspaper and Index
Library has index and newspaper from 1958 to present
Periodical Indexes
- International Index to Periodicals, 1907-1963
- Nineteenth Century Readers Guide Index, 1890-1899
- Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906
- Public Affairs Information Service, 1915 to present
- Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, 1900-1994
Selected Microform Collections
- American Colonial Records, 1636-1831
- American Culture Series, 1493-1875
- American Civil Liberties Union, 1917-1975
- Journals and Minutes of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1776-1790
- Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, 1787-1916
- Thomason Tracts, 1640-1657
- Women in America, 1800-1860
- Pennsylvania County and Regional Histories
Government Documents
- US Serials Set, 1789-1969
An index to a collection of congressional publications, including House and Senate Committee Reports. The index provides access to these documents by subject, keyword. All the documents are on microfiche. - Congressional Information Service (CIS), 1970-date
This begins with 1970 and is the companion to the US Serials Set. It is an index to all the publications of Congress, except the Congressional Record. Indexed are hearings, House and Senate reports, executive reports, treaty documents, public laws, legislative histories, miscellaneous documents. All he documents are on microfiche. - Marcive Web Documents
The catalog of U.S. government publications from July 1976 to present. - Monthly Catalog of US Government Publications (on paper)
Library has the indexes from 1896-1995. Bailey library is a partial depository of government documents - Monthly Catalog of Government Publications
(MOCAT) (online)
Contains items indexed since January, 1994 and is updated daily.
Books/Compact Discs
The library has many specialized reference books dealing with American, and world history. They are too numerous to list. For your browsing convenience the following links provide the call numbers for books on history:
- History: General and Outside the US
- History: America and United States
- History: United States Local and America
- Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies
Available in CD-ROM, the reference desk, in print format on 2nd floor call number E464 .U6, or online. - American History CD-ROM
Located in the IMC, call # ROM 337 - American Diaries
An annotated bibliography of American diaries and journals
REF. CT214.A735 1983x, volume 1: 1492-1844, volume 2: 1845-1980 - Pennsylvania Archives
REF. F146 .P41. The library has the Colonial Record series (series 1-8) as well as series 9, which covers the Executive Minutes of Governors, 1790-1838). Online index to what is in each series.
To find books in the online catalog that may have primary source material in them, use any of the following words
along with your main topic: diaries, letters, correspondence, documents, primary sources, sources, papers, records.
Example: war and (diaries or correspondence)
Example: frontier and (documents or records or sources)
Web Sites
What is a primary source? There are many fine web sites which have electronic reproductions of primary source materials. The following are only a few of the many sites available.
American Memory Project
The American Memory Historical Collections, a major component of the Library's National Digital Program, are
multimedia collections of digitized documents, photographs recorded sound, moving pictures and text from the
Library's Americana collections. There are currently over 60 collections in the American Memory Historical
Collections.
Documenting the American South
This is a collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the
first decades of the 20th century. As of December 1, 1999, the site includes 409 books and manuscripts.
EuroDocs: Primary Historical Documents from Western Europe
From Brigham Young University a number of links that connect to Western European (mainly primary) historical
documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated.
Historic Pittsburgh Project
This digital collection provides an opportunity to explore and research the history of Pittsburgh and the surrounding
Western Pennsylvania area on the Internet. It is a joint project of the University of Pittsburgh and the
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. When completed, it will consist of a full-text collection of more than
400 items, over 500 archival finding aids, approximately 600 land ownership maps, and access to the Historical
Society's catalog.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
From Fordham University, the full text of medieval documents and sources.
Words and Deeds in American History
Contains selected primary sources documents from the Library of Congress covering the period pre-1775 to present.
Users can search by date, subject, or keyword.
Making of American-(University of Michigan)
This digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction
is a joint project between the University of Michigan and Cornell. The collection currently contains approximately
1,600 books and 50,000 journal articles with plans for additional pages in the near future.
Making of American-(Cornell University)
This digital collection of primary source materials contains approximately 114 books and 24 Journals encompassing
nearly 900,000 pages with 19th century imprints.