The following is a select list of resources and strategies for starting research using primary sources. For further assistance, ask at the Reference Desk or contact Michelle Baildon, the Subject Specialist for History and Political Science (2-4477, baildon@bc.edu, O'Neill 408).
This guide draws on guides developed at the University of Oregon (maintained by Heather Ward), Berkeley (maintained by Corliss Lee), and Georgetown.
"A primary source is a document, image, or artifact that provides evidence about the past. It is an original document created contemporaneously with the event under discussion. A direct quote from such a document is classified as a primary source. A secondary source is a book, article, film, or museum that displays primary sources selectively in order to interpret the past." --Robert C. Williams, The Historian's Toolbox: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History, p.58
Primary sources are the raw material of historical research. Although many primary sources are unique and can only be found in one library or manuscript collection in the world, many have also been copied onto microfilm, published in print, reissued, translated, or published digitally on the web.
Some examples of primary sources include:
To find most library materials except articles, use a library catalog like Quest, the BC Libraries' online catalog. Catalogs include books, government documents, maps, DVDs and videotapes, sound recordings, music scores, and many other types of materials. Catalogs also list collections of manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and records of organizations, but they do not list individual items in those collections.
In order to search a library catalog effectively, it is helpful to have some knowledge of Library of Congress Subject Headings. LC Subject Headings (LCSH) are standardized terms developed by the Library of Congress to describe materials listed in library catalogs and to make it easier to arrange them by topic.
LCSH terms are not always the first terms that come to mind. For instance, the LC Subject Heading for the Salem witch trials is "Trials (Witchcraft) -- Massachusetts -- Salem," and for the World War II Holocaust is "Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)."
Subheadings such as "correspondence," "sources," "interviews," and "speeches" can point to primary sources. Pair these subheadings with keywords or topical subject headings in Quest to identify relevant sources in the BC Libraries.
For more information on using LCSH, see the guide "Using Library of Congress Subject Headings for History Research," which includes a table of subheadings that are often used to describe different kinds of primary sources.
With Quest's advanced search, you can limit your search by publication date, by language, and by format to find particular kinds of sources. For example, you can search only for books, microforms, DVDs, videos, archival or manuscript material, sound recordings, maps, and other formats. [show me]
The BC Libraries have several large collections of historical texts, including books, pamphlets, broadsides, and other kinds of publications. Full-text searching makes hunting for sources much easier, and can turn up sources you would never have thought to consult. But keep in mind that digitized sources represent only a small fraction of existing books and other material.
See "Finding Primary Source Articles in Magazines, Journals, and Newspapers" below for digital collections of newspapers and periodicals. See "Finding Material from Archives and Manuscript Collections" below for for digital collections of manuscript material.
Early American imprints. Series I, Evans, 1639-1800
The database Early American Imprints, Series I. Evans (1639-1800) is based on the renowned ³American Bibliography² by Charles Evans and enhanced by Roger Bristol's ³Supplement to Evans' American Bibliography.² It is often considered the definitive resource of information about every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, slavery, temperance, witchcraft and just about any other topic imaginable. Upon completion this digital version of Evans will consist of all titles contained in Evans microform editions more than 36,000 items and over 2.3 million images as well as more than 1,200 catalogued new items.
Early American Imprints, Series II, Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
Comprehensive set of American imprints published in the early part of the 19th century. It includes many state papers and early government materials which chronicle the political and geographic growth of the developing American nation. In addition to books, broadsides and pamphlets, the collection includes many published reports; presidential letters and messages; congressional, state and territorial resolutions; and the works of many European authors reprinted for the American public.
Early English Books Online
EEBO brings nearly every English language book published from the invention of printing in 1475 to 1700 to the Internet.
Works by Shakespeare, Spenser, Bacon, More, Erasmus, Boyle, Newton, Galileo; musical exercises by Henry Purcell and novels by Aphra Behn; prayer books, pamphlets, and proclamations; almanacs, calendars, and other primary resources are all in full facsimile.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
When complete, this database will deliver every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in Great Britain between 1701 and 1800, along with thousands of important works from the Americas. It will comprise nearly 150,000 titles and editions and will allow full-text searching of more than 33 million pages of material. Titles included in ECCO are based on the English Short Title Catalogue bibliography and are sourced from the holdings of the British Library, as well as other national, university, research, and public and private libraries. The database includes a variety of materials - from books and directories, Bibles, sheet music and sermons to advertisements - and works by many well-known and lesser-known authors, all providing a diverse collection of material for the researcher of the eighteenth century. Variant editions of each individual work are frequently offered to enable scholars to make textual comparisons of the works. The database is divided into seven subject areas: History and Geography; Fine Arts and Social Sciences; Medicine, Science and Technology; Literature and Language; Religion and Philosophy; Law; General Reference.
Making of Modern Law: Legal Treatises 1800-1926
International Legal Material
A wide range of primary source material is available on microfilm and microfiche, including books, correspondence, diaries, government records, and newspapers. To find relevant sources in the O'Neill Library microforms collection, do an advanced search in Quest using keywords or LC Subject Headings (see "Using Library of Congress Subject Headings for History Research" for help with LCSH) and limit to "Microforms." [show me]
You can use WorldCat to find archival and manuscript material on microfilm at Boston College. Check the boxes for "Archival Materials" and "Items in my library (BXM, BOSTON COLLEGE)" and choose the "Microform" format under "Subtype limit." [show me]
Browsing the O'Neill Library Inventory of Microforms can be an efficient way to find sources relevant to your topic. Note that this inventory was last updated in 1999, and you should supplement your research with Quest and/or WorldCat searches.
For assistance, visit Government Documents and Microforms on Level 1 of O'Neill Library or call 552-3221.
To find periodical articles, you will generally need to use article indexes, though full-text collections of periodicals have made searching much easier. To browse anthologies of select articles from late 18th- through early 20th-century American history, search for the title Debating Historical Issues in the Media Of the Times in Quest. For more information about O'Neill's resources in historical newspapers, see the Newspaper Research Guide.
The BC Libraries have numerous large collections of historical newspapers and periodicals.
African-American Newspapers: The 19th Century
Newspapers include: Freedom's Journal, 1827-1830 (New York, NY); Colored American, 1837-1841 (New York, NY); The North Star, 1847-1851 (Rochester, NY); Frederick Douglass Paper, 1851-1856 (Rochester, NY); National Era, 1847-1860 (Washington, D.C.); Provincial Freeman, 1854-1857 (Toronto, Canada); The Christian Recorder, 1861-1887 (Philadelphia, PA).
American Periodical Series (1741-1900)
More than 1,100 historic American magazines, journals, and newspapers. Articles can be searched by author, source, and words in the complete text.
Early American Newspapers, 1690-1876
Cover-to-cover reproductions of historic newspapers, with fully text-searchable facsimile images of pages.
Ethnic NewsWatch (1960-present)
Covers U.S. ethnic and minority newspapers and other periodicals, many not in library print collections.
GenderWatch (1970-present)
Over 40,000 full text articles from more than 125 international journals, books, magazines and newsletters, plus unpublished papers and conference proceedings as well as nearly 1,000 special reports devoted to gender and women's issues.
Historical New York Times (1851-2001)
Full text is searchable by keyword, article type, date range, and author's name. Full-page images, including advertisements, can be displayed by article or by page.
JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive
Full text of core scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences, archiving journals from the first volume, with many beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Times Digital Archive (1785-1985)
Two hundred years of "the world's newspaper of record," the Times of London, is offered in searchable full text, including news articles, editorials, obituaries, and advertising.
Don't limit yourself to digitized collections of primary sources--you often won't be able to find all or the best sources you need for your research. Consult both electronic and print indexes as well to find article citations by subject, author, or keyword. Once you find a citation, you will need to search the library catalog for the journal title to see if we own it, and then note its call number to find it on the shelf.
The following indexes are available from the Online Databases page
International Index to Black Periodicals (1902-present)
Covers scholarly and popular periodicals from the U.S., Africa & the Caribbean.
Nineteenth-Century Masterfile
Includes Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1906), Catalogue of Scientific Papers (1800-1900), The Psychological Index (1894-1905), Jones and Chipman's Index to Legal Periodical Literature (1786-1922), Stead's Index to Periodicals (1890-1906), Richardson's Index to Periodical Articles in Religion (1890-1899), and Cumulative Index to a Selected List of Periodicals (1890-1906).
Periodicals Contents Index (PCI)
An electronic index providing the tables of contents of thousands of international periodicals in the arts, humanities and social sciences since 1770. Indexes both scholarly and popular periodicals.
Readers' Guide Retrospective (1890-1982)
Covers popular and general-interest American magazines.
The Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900
(CD-ROM: O'Neill Electronic Information Center AI3 .W45 1999; Print: O'Neill Reference Index Area AI3 .W45 Range 2: General)
A five-volume index to British magazines and journals.
Government documents are an invaluable research resource, but can be hard to navigate. Digitized collections like those listed below can make some of this work easier.
Research guides from Duke and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne offer additional information about using government documents for historical research, though of course particular holdings and call numbers might differ at the BC Libraries.
For assistance, visit Government Documents and Microforms on Level 1 of O'Neill Library or call 552-3221.
Congressional Universe (1970-present)
Provides access to hearing transcripts, congressional committee reports, bills, public laws, selected committee prints, congressional documents, the Congressional Record from the 99th Congress forward, Federal Register from 1980 forward, the current Code of Federal Regulations, and the current US Code.
Declassified Documents Reference System (1945-1970s)
Selected US government documents declassified under the Freedom of Information Act obtained from presidential libraries. Documents originate from various government agencies, including the White House, the CIA, the FBI, and the State Department. Covers many major domestic and international events of the post-World War II era.
Digital National Security Archive (1945-present)
Contains more than 55,000 declassified documents from the National Security Archive, an independent non-governmental institute that collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The documents are organized by Collections, providing an archival record concerning important public policy decisions in the area of foreign affairs and national security.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set Digital Edition (1817-1980)
A full text searchable collection of sources on all aspects of U.S. history compiled by Congress in numbered sequence (hence its name the Serial Set), including government reports, journals, hearings, messages, petitions, resolutions, monographs, treaties, presidential communications, maps and so forth from 1817 to 1980. Also includes the full text of the American State Papers (1789-1838), scheduled for release in late spring 2005. An ongoing digitization project which covers the early years first and is expected to be completed up to 1980 by the end of 2008 (look at the top right of the home page for years currently covered).
You can find unique and rare material in archives (repositories of the records of organizations) and manuscript collections (repositories of the papers of individuals). Because archives and manuscript collections are made up of large groups of papers or records, description, cataloging, and research can be a complex process. The tools and strategies outlined below are a good place to start, but it's often wise to consult with an archivist whose personal knowledge of collections can give you good research leads. Feel free to contact BC archivists at the Burns Library (552-4861, burns.reference@bc.edu).
Archival Resources
Integrates the portion of the Research Libraries Group's RLIN database containing close to half a million descriptive records of archival collections with a growing range of online finding aids or detailed collection guides and inventories.
ArchivesUSA
Provides information about primary source materials from nearly 4,500 manuscript repositories in the United States. It includes records, with indexes, for approximately 100,000 manuscript and other collections. It brings together information from the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, or NUCMC (available in print at O'Neill Reference Z6620.U5 N3), and the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS). It also updates and supersedes the Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States (DAMRUS), last published in 1988.
WorldCat
Use keywords or subject headings and limit your search to "archival material." [show me]
In the First Person
This free database from the Alexander Street Press currently offers in-depth indexing of more than 2,500 collections of oral history in English from around the world. With future releases, the index will broaden to identify other first-person content, including letters, diaries, memoirs, and autobiographies, and other personal narratives.
American Civil War Letters and Diaries (1855-1875)
Search or browse first-person accounts by over 2000 authors, both famous and obscure, of events in the U.S. Civil War. Diaries, letters, and memoirs offer Northern, Southern, and overseas perspectives. The database also includes biographies, an extensive bibliography, and E.B. Long's The Civil War Day-by-Day: An Almanac.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries (1500-1900)
This initial release includes the diaries and letters of 91 women from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Access to approximately 100,000 pages of writings can be retrieved by full text searching (simple or advanced) or by exploring the tables of contents.
Early Encounters in North America (1534-1860)
Over 100,000 pages of letters, diaries, memoirs, and accounts by over 1400 authors document the relationships among peoples in North America from 1534 to 1850. The collection includes published and unpublished accounts, including narratives, diaries, journals, and letters that document the first impressions of North America by Europeans and of Europeans by native people. The collection includes primary materials, images, environmental studies, and maps.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries and Oral Histories (1840-present)
Search or browse letters and diaries, oral histories, interviews, and other personal narratives (most originating from 1920-1980) by over 1900 immigrants to the United States and Canada. Much of the material is previously unpublished, and selected narratives are supplemented by audio and visual files. The database includes thousands of pages of Ellis Island Oral History interviews.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries (1675-1950)
A collection of women's diaries and correspondence covering colonial times to 1950. This database is being released in stages until completion.
Oral History Online (1930-2004)
Oral History Online offers more than 30,000 pages of full-text content, including Ellis Island oral history narratives, exclusive Black Panther party interviews, and other oral histories. It is also an index to English-language interviews that are either publicly available on the Web or held by repositories and archives around the world, including more than 100,000 index entries, with links to full text when transcripts are available online.
Past Masters
Includes three collections of full text databases: (1) philosophy and theology from Plato to Wittgenstein; (2) English letters: correspondence, diaries, memoirs and notebooks from distinguished British writers, statesmen, scientists, churchmen, explorers and philosophers in British history;. (3) women writers: letters, journals, and notebooks from important women writers in the English language. Past Masters uses authoritative editions from established, scholarly publishers.
John J. Burns Library
Home to BC's rare books, special collections, and archives. Holdings include architectural records, maps, art works, newspapers, photographs, films, prints, artifacts and ephemera. Has notable collections in Irish studies; Jesuitana; Catholic liturgy and life in America, 1925-1975; Boston history; Congressional archives; nursing; American detective fiction; and banking.
John F. Kennedy Library & Museum
One of ten presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Holdings include archival and manuscript collections, still photographs, sound recordings, motion pictures, printed materials, and oral histories.
Massachusetts Historical Society
Primarily a repository for collections of the personal papers of individuals and families who lived in Massachusetts. Also holds books and pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, maps, early imprints, works of art, photographs, and numismatics and historical artifacts.
M.I.T. Libraries: Institute Archives & Special Collections
Archival holdings include records of Institute executive and administrative bodies; schools and degree programs; centers and labs; committees, councils and associations; student organizations; and associated or affiliated programs. Manuscript collections mostly comprise the personal papers of faculty members.
National Archives and Records Administration Northeast Region
Holds records created or received by the Federal courts and over 90 Federal agencies in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). Consist primarily of original documents in paper form, but also include some photographs, maps, and architectural drawings.
Northeastern University Archives & Special Collections
The archives include historical records and publications of Northeastern University and its colleges, centers, and administrative units. Special Collections includes rare books, faculty publications, and the Northeastern University Press collection. The "Documenting Diversity" initiative collects the historical records of Boston's African American, Chinese, gay and lesbian, and Latino communities.
Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Holds thousands of records of organizations and individuals, in addition to photographs, books, periodicals, ephemera, oral histories, and audiovisual materials. Also home to one of the world's most significant culinary books collections and the archives of Radcliffe College. The library "offers a wealth of resources for the study of social and cultural history in the United States, including topics such as relations among family members, courtship and marriage, adolescence, education, leisure, occupations, travel, religious observance, food and nutrition, and design."
A great many documents of historical interest have been digitized and made freely available online. Whenever using primary sources from the Internet, you must use your best judgment about the trustworthiness of the site. For important advice on finding and evaluating primary sources on the Internet, see "Using Primary Sources on the Web," a guide from the History Section of the Reference and User Service Association, part of the American Library Association.
There are many digital library projects accessible online. The United States and Western Europe have particularly strong digital resources. A selection of sites is listed below to give an idea of the breadth of materials available.
The following list of bibliographies give citations for memoirs and published diaries and correspondence. To find additional bibliographies, do an advanced search in Quest for "Keywords in Subject" combining "bibliography" with any of the following terms:
To narrow in on a topic, you can also combine this search with keywords or Library of Congress Subject Headings. [show me]
American Autobiography, 1945-1980: A Bibliography
O'Neill Reference Z5305.U5 A47 1982
American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of Published American Diaries and Journals
O'Neill Reference Z5305.U5 A74 1983
And So to Bed: A Bibliography of Diaries Published in English
O'Neill Reference CT25 .H38x 1987
Autobiographies by Americans of Color, 1980-1994: An Annotated Bibliography
O'Neill Reference CT220 .S783 1997
Autobiographies by Americans of Color, 1995-2000: An Annotated Bibliography
O'Neill Reference CT220 .S784 2003
Black Americans in Autobiography
O'Neill Reference Z1361.N39 B67 1984
British Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of British Diaries Written Between 1442 and 1942
O'Neill Reference Z2014.D5 M3
British Women's Diaries: A Descriptive Bibliography of Selected Nineteenth-Century Women's Manuscript Diaries
Newton Resource Center Stacks Z7964.G7 H84 1985
Civil War Eyewitnesses: An Annotated Bibliography of Books and Articles, 1955-1986
O'Neill Stacks E601 .C55x 1988
Civil War Eyewitnesses: An Annotated Bibliography of Books and Articles, 1986-1996
O'Neill Stacks E601 .C79 2000
Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series
O'Neill Reference PN453 .C63
New England Diaries, 1602-1800: A Descriptive Catalogue of Diaries, Orderly Books and Sea Journals
Newton Resource Center Stacks Z1251.E1 F6 1967
Through a Woman's I: An Annotated Bibliography of American Women's Autobiographical Writings, 1946-1976
O'Neill Reference Z7963.B6 A32 1983
Women's Diaries, Journals, and Letters: An Annotated Bibliography
O'Neill Stacks CT3230 .C55 1989
Women in English Social History, 1800-1914: A Guide to Research
O'Neill Reference HQ1593 .K366x 1987
Women in Western European History: A Select Chronological, Geographical, and Topical Bibliography
O'Neill Reference Z7961 .F74 1982
WorldCat allows you to search for books from libraries around the U.S. and a few in other countries. Most libraries do not loan out rare books or archival materials, but you may find reprints or microfilm of primary sources that you can borrow through interlibrary loan.
Books, microfilm, DVDs and videos, and other material not owned by BC can be requested through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Fill out an online form to request material.
As a member of the Boston College community, you are also eligible for a Boston Library Consortium (BLC)
Michelle Baildon
baildon@bc.edu
Created September 5, 2005
Last revised