DeWitt Library Research Guides: COM 101: Mass Media and Society: Biographical Info & Primary Sources

Websites

Biography.com
This is a good source for information on famous people.

Digital Collections

Library of Congress
A 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.
Cornell University: Making of America
Iowa Digital Library
Over 250,000 items from the University of Iowa's archives.
National Archives Online Exhibits
Particular 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 Gallery
The collection includes audio, video, webcasts, prints, photographs, text and more.
Primary Documents in American History
University of Nevada Las Vegas Digital Collections
A site with access to unique images, documents, and more from American History.

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 a few links to primary sources. Keep in mind that many different types of materials count as primary sources -- music, art, even advertisements.

Using Catalogs

You can use online catalogs, such as our catalog and WorldCat, to find primary sources. Here are some tips for effective searches:

Use subject searches, and combine your topic with other subject headings such as Correspondence, Diaries, Interviews or Personal narratives. This will restrict the search to first-hand accounts.
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.