Working with Primary Sources
- Be thoughtful about your search terms. Think of the language of the period -- including special formatting or other 'quirks.' Think also about specific names of people and organizations.
- Use the tools built into each database. Many primary resources can be browsed (or in the case of online tools, searched) by publication date, or by geographic location.
- Note the order of your results. Some primary source databases default to sorting by date. In some cases, sorting by relevance may be more helpful.
- Don't just search -- browse. In addition to reading articles that come up in your search results, spend some time looking over pages of newspapers to see what other articles are covering from the time period. By looking beyond a single article, you'll learn about other issues from the time period and possibly see Letters to the Editors and advertisements which can provide historical context.
- Start early. It can be more difficult to find relevant primary sources. There may be valuable sources which you will want to request from other libraries. You may also need more time to decipher, digest, and interpret the content of your primary sources. Leave yourself plenty of time, pace yourself, and ask questions or for assistance earlier rather than later.
Use the resources in this box to assist you in analyzing primary sources for your research.
- Patrick Rael, Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students(Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College, 2004)
- Primary Source Analysis Worksheets - Digital HistoryUse these worksheets and other tools, originally developed by the National Archives, to help you analyze a range of primary sources including artifacts, cartoons, maps, movies, photos, posters, sound recordings, and written documents.
Understanding Historical Newspapers:
- "The Times as a Complete Source" (Gale Primary Sources Learning Center)Useful information and thought questions for understanding the complete context of the London Times -- including its audience, politics, style, and influences.
Read All about It! A History of the British Newspaper by Call Number: [E-Book]Publication Date: 2009
Collections of Primary Sources
Newspapers & Periodicals:
For even more options, visit: https://libguides.holycross.edu/newspapers
British Newspapers:
- London Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Date(s):1785-2019
Articles from the London Times, including all pictures and advertisements.
- British Library Newspapers [Boston Public Library subscription]Includes a wide variety of British papers ranging in date from the 1730s to 1950. To access, sign up for an e-card.
- Irish Times & Weekly Irish Times Historical This link opens in a new window
Date(s): 1859-2022
Articles from the Irish Times and Weekly Irish Times, including all pictures and advertisements.
- Sunday Times (London) Digital Archive (1822-2006) [Boston Public Library subscription]"Searchable page reproductions of Britain’s premier Sunday newspaper." To access, sign up for an e-card.
Other Newspapers & Periodicals:
- Historic Jewish PressCollection of historic Jewish newspapers from around the world.
- JSTOR Arts & Sciences This link opens in a new window
Journal articles in almost every subject area, including some historical articles back to the 17th century.
- Middle Eastern & North African Newspapers"The Middle Eastern & North African Newspapers collection includes publications from across this dynamic region, providing unique insights into the history of individual countries, as well as broad viewpoints on key historic events from the late nineteenth century through the present. "
- Palestine Post Newspaper Archive (1932-1950)English-language, Zionist-Jewish newspaper founded in 1932 in Jerusalem. After 1950, it was published as The Jerusalem Post.
- Union List of Digitized Jewish Historic Newspapers, Periodicals and e-JournalsAlphabetical list of papers including title, place of publication, years covered, language, and access information. Includes free online collections, subscriptions and some print collections.
Pamphlets, Correspondence, etc.
- American Colony in Jerusalem, 1870 to 2006 (Library of Congress)"This electronic presentation features selected materials from the physical American Colony in Jerusalem Collection... a non-denominational utopian Christian community founded by a small group of American expatriates in Ottoman Palestine in 1881.The collection focuses on the personal and business life of the colony from the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, through World War I and the British Mandate, and into the formation of the state of Israel."
- Elather Collection (Library of Congress)"More than 2,000 items in various formats, including books, pamphlets, photographs, personal correspondence, and newspaper clippings among other documents. The majority of the collection is in Arabic, with some in English. The collection documents the history of the Arab world from 1912 to 1974, with a focus on the life of a well-known Palestinian Arab journalist and newspaper editor, Muhammad Ali Eltaher (1896-1974). "
- Empire Online This link opens in a new window
Primary sources in English relating to empire building around the world and especially the British Empire.
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Scanned books from major research libraries. Best for books published before 1928.
- Palestine Pamphlet Collection (Library of Congress)Sub-section of the Eltaher collection. "The contents of these booklets cover the history of Palestine, under the British mandate, prior to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948."
- Travelers in the Middle East Archive"TIMEA provides online access to texts, maps, and images documenting travel to the Middle East (primarily Egypt) between the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These materials range from travel guides, travel narratives, and museum catalogs to stereocards, advertisements and postcards. "
Government & Diplomatic Documents:
United Nations Records:
- United Nations Digital LibraryUN documents, voting data, speeches, maps, and open access publications starting in 1979. See their research guide for more help understanding the collection and how to search.
British Records:
- Arabian Gulf Digital Archive"The Arabian Gulf Digital Archive (“AGDA”) is an online archive that has been created to showcase historical and cultural material that tells the story of the rich, intriguing and complex history of the Arabian Gulf." A work-in-progress, this archive incorporates documents from a number of sources including the UK National Archives.
- The Cabinet Papers, UK National ArchivesMisc. "records of Cabinet meetings and papers, which include material on colonies and dominion"
- Empire Online This link opens in a new window
Primary sources in English relating to empire building around the world and especially the British Empire.
- Women in the [UK] National Archives This link opens in a new window
Date(s):1903-1962
Primary sources produced by and about women seeking suffrage in Britain, the British Empire and its colonies.
U.S. Records:
- HeinOnline: Government, Politics & Law for Academics This link opens in a new window
A library of legal resources including law journals; government, legal and diplomatic documents; books; reports; and historical sources.
- Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) This link opens in a new window
Date(s): 1860-present
The official record of United States foreign policy, accompanied by reports and other documents relevant to the topic.
- King-Crane Commission Digital CollectionRecords of members of the King-Crane Commission which visited former Ottoman territories in the summer of 1919.
Images & Multimedia:
- American Colony in Jerusalem, 1870 to 2006 (Library of Congress)"This electronic presentation features selected materials from the physical American Colony in Jerusalem Collection... a non-denominational utopian Christian community founded by a small group of American expatriates in Ottoman Palestine in 1881.The collection focuses on the personal and business life of the colony from the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, through World War I and the British Mandate, and into the formation of the state of Israel."
- AP Newsroom [Boston Public Library subscription]"Searchable Associated Press content, including 4.6 million photographs (1826-present) as well as graphics, audio (1920-present), and articles (1997-present)." To access, sign up for an e-card.
- Artstor This link opens in a new window
Now part of JSTOR. Library of images relating to art and architecture, humanities, and social sciences.
- Spielberg Archive Pre-State Films, Hebrew University of JerusalemPlaylist of brief Jewish/Zionist documentary films produced between 1911 and 1948 and preserved by the Spielberg Jewish Film Archive. Many, but not all, of the films have English audio or subtitles. Check the description of each film for production details and date.
Books (incl. Memoirs & Travel Accounts):
Online:
- Empire Online This link opens in a new window
Primary sources in English relating to empire building around the world and especially the British Empire.
- HathiTrust Digital LibraryHathiTrust is a repository of digitized books drawn from major research libraries in the United States. The library contains millions of books of all different dates and subjects. Certain parts of the collection are restricted, but many books are free online.
- Travel Writing, Spectacle & World History This link opens in a new window
Date(s):1818-1970s
Primary sources produced by American women traveling throughout the United States and around the world during the 19th and 20th centuries.
In the Library:
You can find many kinds of primary sources in the library. This could include writings published during the relevant time period as well as editions of primary accounts/documents that were re-published later.
When using CrossSearch, you can check the Catalog box on the left navigation bar to only search for items in the library catalog, then use the date slider to look at publication dates in your time period.
Remember to watch your keywords -- a book written in the early 20th century will use different vocabulary to talk about various historical events.
Keyword tips for finding primary sources in Dinand:
- Try the name of a specific region (including names they might have been known by in the past).
- Things of words related to the kind of source you're seeking. For example, terms such as voyage, travel, journey are examples of words that appear often in titles of travel accounts.
- All books in the catalog are labeled with a kind of tag, called subject headings, that tells you what the book is about and brings together all the books on similar topics. You can use these tags by clicking on them or by using them as keyword inspiration.
Misc. Web Archives:
- Arabian Gulf Digital Archive"The Arabian Gulf Digital Archive (“AGDA”) is an online archive that has been created to showcase historical and cultural material that tells the story of the rich, intriguing and complex history of the Arabian Gulf." A work-in-progress, this archive incorporates documents from a number of sources including the UK National Archives.
- Digital Library of the Middle East"offers free and open access to the rich cultural legacy of the Middle East and North Africa by bringing together collections from a wide range of cultural heritage institutions"
- EuropeanaA portal for cultural materials -- images, sounds and videos as well as texts (including digitized books) -- drawn from libraries, archives, museums and more throughout Europe. Everything in Europeana is free to access.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsThe Library of Congress has many wonderful online collections of primary sources from a variety of historical periods.
- National Library of Israel - Digital CollectionsBe sure to filter your searches to Language - English and Available Online. Most documents are titled in both English and Hebrew.
- Palestinian Journeys: Timeline/Documents"Conceived by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a joint project with the Palestinian Museum, The Interactive Timeline of the Palestine Question traces the history of modern Palestine, from the end of the Ottoman era to the present."
Web Search Strategies:
Google Site Search is an invaluable tool for locating sources on the web which may be scattered across disparate websites. For example:
- site:*.gov "British mandate" Palestine will search for references to Palestine and the British mandate on US government websites.
- site:*.org "British mandate" Palestine will search the same on .org (non-profit) websites, which will hit many libraries, museums and other cultural heritage institutions (as well as some advocacy organizations, so read critically for bias);
- site:*.edu "British mandate" Palestine will conduct the search across educational websites.
It's also a great way to pick up sites on domains from other countries. For example:
- UK:
- site:*.uk: All British websites
- site:*.ac.uk: British academic websites
- site:*.gov.uk: British government websites
Yishuv Sources:
In addition to books in the HC Libraries, consider browsing...
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Scanned books from major research libraries. Best for books published before 1928.
- Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Archives - CollectionsThe JDC Archives including photographs, text documents, and more from American JDC relief services to Jewish people before, during and after the Holocaust, in countries around the world.
- Spielberg Archive Pre-State Films, Hebrew University of JerusalemPlaylist of brief Jewish/Zionist documentary films produced between 1911 and 1948 and preserved by the Spielberg Jewish Film Archive. Many, but not all, of the films have English audio or subtitles. Check the description of each film for production details and date.