History Guide

Primary Sources provide firsthand evidence of a particular historical era or event. Primary source material can include letters, diaries, memoirs, newspapers, photographs, videos, political or legal documents, speeches, artwork, and more.

You can find examples of primary sources using the online resources below.

Often primary source materials will be collected and published in book form, including published diaries, correspondence, or a variety of documents focused on a particular historical event.  Use the following resources to find this material:

• SHU Library Catalog  (Books at SHU Library)
• WorldCat Discovery  (Books worldwide)
• HathiTrust  (Digitized books from academic libraries)

You can use the Library of Congress Authorities (controlled vocabulary) to help locate published primary materials:

• Library of Congress Authorities

Look for subject headings that end with the following terms:

• -- Sources
• -- Diaries
• -- Correspondence
• -- Personal narratives