Archives of the New York Times
- New York Times: TimesMachine This link opens in a new window
The entire run of the New York Times, starting in 1851. To use, first set up a New York Times account using your campus email. Follow these instructions. Watch a video on how to use this database.
About Primary Sources
Primary sources are newspaper articles, diaries, treaties, interviews, photographs and other materials that were created during the time period of study. Because primary sources vary in type, there are many ways to locate these sources. Look through the different boxes on this page to find great links to primary sources. Keep in mind that many different types of materials count as primary sources -- music, art, even advertisements.
Newspapers
- Chronicling AmericaSearch America's historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
- Sioux County Newspaper ArchiveA database of fully searchable articles from Sioux County newspapers, dating back to 1872. Works best to create an account or log in before searching. Articles can be saved as PDFs or images.
- U.S. Newsstream (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowUS Newsstream enables users to search current and extensive backfiles of U.S. news content and features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, and news sites in full-text format.
Digital Collections
As our list below shows, excellent digital collections are available online. While this page cannot include even a fraction of what's available, here are some tips for finding online collections:
- Check out the web sites of university and college libraries. If you are looking for regional materials, start with schools in that area.
- Look at state historical societies and state archives. Many states are putting collections online, including Iowa and Michigan.
- Visit web sites of related museums and historical sites.
- For presidential research, be sure to visit the web site of the presidential library (if available).
- Duke University Digital CollectionsVarious collections from the Duke archives, from Walt Whitman manuscripts and ration coupons to audio clips about African-Americans in the Jim Crow South.
- Iowa Digital LibraryOver 250,000 items from the University of Iowa's archives.
- Library of CongressA site providing free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps and sheet music that document the American experience.
- National Archives Online ExhibitsParticular attention is paid to the Charters of Freedom. Collections are often related to current events, such as the exhibit on the Influenza of 1918 and the Documented Rights collection that explores how civil rights have evolved.
- New York Public Library Digital GalleryThe collection includes audio, video, webcasts, prints, photographs, text and more.
- University of Michigan: Making of AmericaAccording to their web site, "Making of America (MoA) is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology."
- University of Nevada Las Vegas Digital CollectionsA site with access to unique images, documents, and more from American History.
- University of Washington Digital CollectionsA wide variety of online collections, including photographs from the Civil Works Administration, letters from the Civil War, advertisements from the American West and audio tracks from the Seattle Symphony. The collection also includes numerous Native American photographs and documents.
Using Catalogs
You can use online catalogs, such as our WorldCat, to find primary sources. Here are some tips for effective searches:
- Search for a subject (use " " if more than one word) and then use other headings such as correspondence, diaries, interviews or personal narratives.
- Searching for a person as an author is another way to locate primary materials.
- Try limiting a search by date range to get materials published in those years.
Government & Legal Documents
- HeinOnline AcademicThis database is very strong on government and legal documents.
Digitized Books & Other Documents
- HathiTrust Digital LibraryDeWitt Library does not subscribe to this site, but if one logs in as a guest, one can find and use all sorts of out-of-print books, periodicals, and proceedings.
Magazines
- LIFE MagazineIssues from 1936-1972 are available via Google Books.
Photographs & Images
- Wikimedia CommonsA collection of freely usable media files.