What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, memoirs, documents produced by government agencies such as Congress or the Office of the President, photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures or video recordings, research data, statistics and objects or artifacts such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons. These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research.
RUSA (Reference and User Services Association)
For an overview of the different types of sources see Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources by the University of Maryland Libraries.
Newspapers & Magazines
Includes both full-text databases and online indexes.
Available on-campus only.
- Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new windowContains tens of millions of searchable newspaper pages, dating as far back as the 1700s.
- National NewspapersBaltimore Sun
Christian Science Monitor, 1988 -
New York Times, 1980 -
Wall Street Journal, 1984 -
Washington Post, 1987 -
- Times (of London) Digital Archive, 1785-2014 This link opens in a new windowComprises full-text images of more than 200 years of The Times, a highly regarded resource for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century news coverage. With over 12 million articles, the archive supports research across multiple disciplines including the humanities, political science, philosophy, and business, along with coverage of all major international historical events.
- New York Times 1851-2017 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)Historical full text coverage from 1851 to 2019 on the ProQuest database platform
Online Sources of Data
There is wealth of data and statistical information freely available online. The trick is finding it all. This is a sampling of data available online. For more, ask a librarian.
On the web:
- FedStatsUS government statistics by state, topic, or agency.
- United States Census BureauStatistics, Working Papers & Reports from the US Census Bureau.
- CDC Data and StatisticsCenters for Disease Control
- CIA World FactbookU.S. government profiles of countries and territories around the world.
- National Center for Education StatisticsProvides statistical data on education from prekindergarten through graduate school.
On-campus databases:
- State StatsIncludes statistics and data from every state covering topics as diverse as health care, crime, education and more.
- World Bank: Data This link opens in a new windowData on everything from climate change to poverty and urban development.
Data in Reference Books
United Nations Statistical Yearbook (Cloth) by Call Number: REF HA12.5 .U63ISBN: 9789210613514Publication Date: 2015-03-15Available online and in Reference collection.
World Development Indicators (2013 Online)Call Number: REF HC59.15 .W656ISBN: 08213898582010 edition is available in Reference, most current issues are available online.
