Library Basics

Learn what the Libraries have, how to find something, and how to manage it.

Library Research Guide

Finding Primary Sources

A primary source is anything that has been created by a person who witnessed or experienced an event as a contemporary would be a primary source. Examples include letters, diaries, autobiographies, and contemporary documents such as newspaper articles, government documents, and oral histories.

We have several databases that contain primary sources. Be aware that some of these databases have both primary and secondary source material. You will need to evaluate the sources you find to ensure they fit the parameters of your assignment.

Our digital collections and our materials in our holdings in Special Collections and University Archives both include numerous primary source documents, many of which are unique. 

Select Databases for Primary Sources