ENGL 113 | Tucker | Library/Research

Primary sources include a variety of materials written or created during the time period of the topic you are researching. They also include things written at a later date by a participant in the events being studied (e.g., memoirs).

Primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to a historical event or time period via the viewpoints of actual participants or observers.

The library has full-text online archives of the following newspapers, which make for great primary historical sources:

• New York Times - 1851-2014

• The Chicago Tribune - 1849-1994

• The Times (London) - 1785-2014

There are also many primary source collections available freely on the web.  Below are a few general suggestions.

• Library of Congress - Library of Congress online collection of materials documenting American history

• Digital Public Library of America - This is a growing searchable portal to digital archival collections around the country