March 7, 2012
Primary sources bring real life to research
While primary sources might be most familiar to those who study and teach history, they are integral to research in a wide variety of fields. K-State Libraries has been steadily increasing subscriptions to primary source databases to support the research efforts of a wide variety of K-State faculty and students in literature, political science, sociology, American ethnic studies, and other disciplines. Librarians have compiled a research guide to help you get the most out of our primary source offerings, several of which are detailed below.
Cultural resources
- North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries and Oral Histories – personal narratives from 1840 to the present, including some audio files and facsimiles of personal scrapbooks.
- North American Indian Thought and Culture – autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files, 20,000 photographs, and 2000 audio oral histories from nearly 500 North American native groups.
- North American Women’s Letters and Diaries – letters, diaries, and biographies detailing the personal lives and experiences of hundreds of women spanning more than 300 years.
News resources
- African American Newspapers 1827-1998 – full text and images of over 270 newspapers published by and for African-Americans.
- Historical New York Times – searchable database of all issues of the New York Times since its inception in 1851 through 2008.
- Times Digital Archive 1785-2006 – complete issues of more than 200 years of The Times of London.
Audiovisual resources
- American History in Video - newsreels, government and commercial films, and significant documentaries on various topics in American history.
If you would like to incorporate more primary sources into your teaching, research or course assignments, librarians are available to provide information and instruction for you, your department, or your students. If there are primary source databases or resources that you would like K-State Libraries to consider for purchase, please complete our online form and we’ll be in touch.