What is a primary source?
- What are Primary and Secondary Sources?Ithaca College Library
- Another Definition of Primary SourcesSanta Cruz University Library Staff
Databases with Primary Sources
Databases with Primary Sources
- Access World News - California Newspapers and others This link opens in a new windowFull-text newspapers including statistics, quotes, facts, analysis, historical perspectives, obituaries and more. Local newspapers such as Chico News included along with San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee. An easy to use map-based interface allows flexible searching by newspaper, state, and region.
- ARTstor This link opens in a new windowA collection of art images and descriptive information of over 700,000 items as well as software tools to search and store images from the collection for research and/or teaching. Cookies must be enabled to use all of the tools.
- Black Life in America This link opens in a new windowNewspapers and resources focused on African American history. Includes newspapers covering the African American experience.
- Ethnic Diversity Source This link opens in a new windowFull-text resources cover the culture, traditions, social treatment, and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. Sources include peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies, and primary source documents.
- European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750 This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. The history of European exploration, portrayals of Native American peoples, natural disasters, disease, and slavery are some of the subjects covered.
- Hispanic Life in America This link opens in a new windowNewspapers and primary source documents covering Hispanic American life.
Primary sources on the web
- Documenting the American South Provides access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture.
- HathiTrustDigitized material from libraries around the world.
- Internet ArchivePreserving the digital library.
- Making of America Primary documents related to American history.
- National ArchivesHistoric documents and background information as well as primary sources.
- U.S. Primary Sources - RUSACompiled by Reference User Services Assoc.
Primary sources available to borrow for 3 weeks
America Firsthand by 
The Civil War: The First Year Told by Those Who Lived It by 
The Civil War: the Second Year Told by Those Who Lived It by 
Letters from America by 
Women's Letters by
