History Librarian

Primary Source Databases

JSTOR
In Quick Search
Provides interdisciplinary coverage with a strong focus in the humanities and social sciences. Journal articles, books, and primary sources.
Dates covered:1600s-present
Archives of Sexuality and Gender
In Quick Search
A collection of primary source publications relating to the history and study of sex, sexuality, and gender studies research.
Dates covered: 16th century-20th century
ATLA Historical Monographs
In Quick Search
Covers religion, theology, and general social, political, and economic topics. Monographs.
Dates covered: 1200s-1922
History Reference Center
Quick Search
Covers historical subject areas with the aim to assist educators reach curriculum goals. Primary sources, journal articles, books, images, magazines, and more. Dates covered: 3999 BCE-present
Nexis Uni
Not in Quick Search
Nexi Uni has three primary collections: 1) full-text access to news sources in the U.S. and abroad back to the 1970s; 2) aggregated economic data on businesses, corporations, and industries in the U.S. and abroad; 3) full-text legal documents, including U.S. Federal and State court cases, and law reviews from the late 18th century to present.

What's the deal with primary sources?

NOTE: The primary source sites on this guide represent topics helpful to the research that students at FLC most often engage with in their classes. It is by no means exhaustive- if you are looking for sources not represented on this guide (different language, different time period, different groups of people) please contact our history librarian for individualized searching and research help.

What is a primary source?
- A primary source is a direct record of an event or happening. Generally, primary sources are things like diaries, letters, memoirs, news reports, social media posts, etc.
Where do primary sources come from?
- Think of a text that you've sent to a friend recently. You've created a primary source! Unlike secondary sources, primary sources aren't usually made with research in mind. They come from people documenting their experiences for a variety of reasons.
- Imagine a researcher 200 years from now is looking at your text message. What might they learn about college life in the current era?
How can I find a primary source?
- Primary sources are usually housed in museums, libraries, and archives. We have a collection of primary source materials here at FLC in the Center for Southwest Studies. (link to CSWS page). These days, many collections are digitized and put online in various places. Finding primary source materials can take some work, since they are often organized by topic, institution, or collection.

Search Tips and Tricks for Primary Source Materials:

Find a specific example. If you are looking for medieval science documents, trying browsing the web/ secondary source materials to find a particular example from that time. For example, instead of looking for "medieval science" sources, you might search using the name of a particular scientist.
Think about what type of source might be out there about your topic.
Do not necessarily fear the website that looks like it is from 1990! Look instead at the institution hosting the website to decide if it should be used. If you have questions, contact your instructor or a librarian.
Try looking through the citations and bibliography of a relevant secondary source/ article to see the primary sources they were referencing.search using terms like:
- "Your topic" AND "digital repository"
- "your topic" AND archive
- "your topic" AND "digital archive"
- "your topic" AND "digital collection"