- St. Olaf Libraries
- Research Guides
- History 220: Modern Britain
- Finding Primary Sources
History 220: Modern Britain
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Research Librarian
What is a primary source
Primary sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Newspapers, letters, diaries, government reports, images, etc., can all be considered primary sources. These sources are published and shared in a variety of ways. See below for some suggestions for finding primary sources:
- In Catalyst, search your topic and include words like letters, diary, correspondence, interview, autobiograpphy, etc. as keywords
- In Catalyst, search your topic. When the results appear, look to the left and scroll down to the category of filters called Genre/Form. Open this set of filters and look for terms that would point to a primary source. Sources is also a category here and it frequently includes primary sources.
- On the open web search your topic and use some of the same words as above but also use words like archive or museum.
Primary Source Databases at St. Olaf
- Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowPrimary source materials, including monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, and statistics in both Western and non-Western languages from the 19th century. Includes four cross-searchable resources: "British Politics and Society," "Asia & the West: Diplomacy & Cultural Exchange," "European Literature, 1790-1840", and "British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture."
- Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 This link opens in a new windowDigital archive of primary sources from popular culture in Britain and America, spanning 1950-1975.
- Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive This link opens in a new windowIncludes collections of books, serials, and primary sources on "the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions."