Primary sources are artifacts that were created during the time that is being studied. Some examples include letters, diaries, photos or videos, newspaper or magazine articles, interviews, speeches, oral histories, government documents, public opinion polls, and Tweets or other social media posts (for contemporary topics). We use primary sources both to get and to give a more complete view of what people were thinking, feeling, and experiencing at the time that we are studying. The primary sources that you use will depend on the nature and scope of your project, and will need to be entirely specific to your research question. Please think widely and be curious about the types of primary sources you might be able to use! Remember that your argument, and your eventual thesis, will be informed by your primary sources - you do not create an argument in a vacuum and then try to find primary sources to fit.
Also, consider that primary sources DO NOT have to be digital. The majority of the resources we have listed here in digital format - meaning they have been digitized by an organization to make them more accessible and easier to use. However, do not be afraid to consider using primary sources held in their original, physical form by organizations and archives. Please consult with your teacher or a librarian (especially Ms. Charles) if this is something you would like to do.
Some suggestions for finding and using primary sources:
Newspapers are great options for primary sources. We have access to many historical and contemporary newspapers through our library databases, and it is possible to access many other historical databases through sites such as the Library of Congress. The majority of the newspaper databases to which we have access are US-based publications. Access World News is an excellent source for international newspapers and other international news sources.
Historical Newspapers:
Why search here? Find current and historical news coverage from more than 200 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date Range: 1690-Present
Why search here? Look here for primary sources for studying Black history in America in the 19th and 20th centuries. Includes hundreds of newspapers printed by and for Black communities.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date Range: 1827-1998
Why search here? Includes 19th and 20th-century newspapers from over 20 African countries, including eyewitness reporting, editorials, legislative information, letters, poetry, advertisements, obituaries and other items from a time of great change across the continent.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date range: 1800-1922
Why search here? Includes 19th century newspaper coverage from numerous countries across the African continent.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date range: 1839-1900
Why search here? Includes searchable newspaper articles published in the United States, but the best feature of this database are the curated collections of articles about significant events in American history.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date Range: 1690-2000
Why search here? Covers a wide range of topics, people and events related to Asian American history. Use the “Suggested Searches” menu to explore notable events.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date range: 1704-Present
Why search here? Covers a wide range of topics, people and events related to Black history in America. Use the “Suggested Searches” menu to explore notable events and topics.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date range: 1700-Present
Why search here? Includes digitized newspapers from Britain and Ireland, including local, regional and UK-wide papers. Covers topics such as military history, the Industrial Revolution, social movements and everyday life in the UK.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date range: 1700-Present
Special note: Register for an account while on campus to get access to the entire collection.
Why search here? Covers a wide range of topics, people and events related to Hispanic and Latino/a history in America. Use the “Suggested Searches” menu to explore notable events and topics.
What's included? Newspaper articles from English and Spanish-language publications
Date range: 1704-Present
Why search here? Includes a wealth of primary and secondary sources about Black history, including many of the most influential Black newspapers from across the country. Explore collection pages, topic pages, and timelines for curated resources and background information.
What's included? Newspapers, archival documents, government materials, videos, scholarly/journal articles, timelines
Date range: 1650-Present
Historical newspaper articles from The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and The Atlanta Constitution from the mid-1800s to the 2020s.
Contemporary Newspapers:
Nobles students and employees also have access to several contemporary newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, through the library. For access to these papers, please go to lib.nobles.edu, and then the "Newspapers" tab in the top right corner. Follow the login prompts for either students or staff. Please let a librarian know if you have difficulty getting to any of these papers.
Why search here? Find current and historical news coverage from more than 200 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
What's included? Newspaper articles
Date Range: 1690-Present
Access World News also has contemporary newspapers from around the world, in addition to historical ones.
Many of our databases include other types of primary sources, such as the full text of speeches, interviews, and government documents. When you search, make sure to filter your results to "primary sources".
Why search here? This page shows all of the library's databases published by ABC-CLIO and allows users to search multiple databases at the same time.
What's included? Links to multiple databases about US and world history which include reference articles and primary sources.
Why search here? Includes primary sources that cover the history, peoples, and social and economic changes across Africa over 400 years.
What's included? Books, pamphlets, almanacs, broadsides and more.
Date Range: 1540-1921
Why search here? Includes over 150,000 early American primary sources. Major topics covered include Black history, daily life in early America, the Civil War, Native American history, children's books, Caribbean history, political history, and popular culture.
What's included? Books, pamphlets, political and government documents, sermons, plays and other rare printed materials
Date range: 1535-1922
Why search here? Includes specialized primary source collections on American history topics.
What's included? Curated primary source collections including newspapers, government documents, political convention proceedings, images, and more.
Date range: Varies by collection
Why search here? Includes a variety of resources about contemporary global government, law, health, science and technology, society, and culture.
What's included? News articles, scholarly/journal articles, viewpoints, primary sources, reference sources, videos and more
Why search here? Includes resources which support the exploration of historical questions, debates and controversies in world and American history. Also a great place to find curated primary sources.
What's included? Pro/con articles, timelines, primary sources
Date range: Ancient history-Present
Why search here? Includes primary, secondary and reference material about all aspects of US history. Explore by topic for curated resources.
What's included? Reference articles, scholarly/journal articles, magazines and other periodicals, primary sources, Supreme Court case overviews, images, and more
Resources about the people, cultures, events, and societies that have formed the history of humanity.
Many private organizations, as well as federal, state, and local governments, provide digital access to documents and other primary sources on their websites. Google Advanced Search is a very powerful search tool when you are searching for primary sources because it allows you to limit what types of sites you search.
Some tips:
There is an increasing amount of historical material that has been digitized and is now available online, through various organizations, universities, museums, and more. We have created another research guide devoted only to those types of sources for US history-specific topics. Please click here to access it.
We have also created a guide to some free online primary sources for topics and time periods in global history. Click here to visit that guide.
Go to lib.nobles.edu, find the "Research" tab at the top of the page, and then "Databases" in the drop-down menu. You should be able to click through links as you would a free website. If you are prompted for a log-in, please see a librarian.
Off Campus:
Go to lib.nobles.edu, find the "Research" tab at the top of the page, and then "Databases" in the drop-down menu. You will be prompted to log in to our proxy server. Log in using your Nobles ID and password.
Important Notes:
If you open a database tab in one place (i.e., at school or home) and leave it open, it will not work when you reopen it in another place (i.e., at home or at school). This is because your use of the library databases depends on the network to which your computer is attached.
DO NOT copy the URL at the top of your screen to include in your citations. It will not work.
Always make sure you get the stable link and citation information for your articles before you try to change wireless networks. Look for something that says "Citations", "Citing", or "Cite this article", and then copy and paste the link or citation that they give you. Make sure that you are using the Turabian (Chicago) style of citation! Do not copy the URL at the top of the page -- it will not work when you try to use it on a different wireless network.
Why search here? The Putnam Library catalog shows which books the library owns and how to find them.
What's included? Library catalog
Why search here? Here you will find links to all of the library's databases and helpful resources for your research.
What's included? An alphabetical, searchable list of all of the library's databases.