LibGuides: HIST 451, Capstone Research: Library Guides

Databases: Primary Source Collections

Collections of several types of primary sources curated around a topic or theme.

North American

African American Archives This link opens in a new window
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1792-1941
Primary source documents from the National Archives about the lives of African Americans in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
African American Communities This link opens in a new window
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1860s-1980s
Primary sources documenting African American communities in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina.
America in World War Two: Oral Histories and Personal Accounts This link opens in a new window
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1937-1950
Oral histories, declassified government documents, correspondence, photos and digitized artifacts from the National WWII museum in New Orleans, LA.

Uncover the stories of American military personnel and civilians during the Second World War through their oral histories, correspondence, diaries, photographs, artifacts, and military records. This digital resource offers an insight into the personal experiences of those involved in the conflict, both on the United States home front and on deployment overseas in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Pacific, China, Burma and India.
Americana This link opens in a new window
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1493-1975
Search all American history archival collections from Adam Matthew Publishers.

Combined search of American History, American Indian Histories and Cultures, American West, Everyday Life & Women in America c.1800-1920, Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975, Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice, and Virginia Company Archives.
American Consumer Culture This link opens in a new window
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1850-1990s
Search three archival collections representing 20th century advertising and marketing from Adam Matthew Publishers.

Combined search of Market Research & American Business, 1935-1965, Trade Catalogues and the American Home, J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America
American History (Gilder Lehrman collection) This link opens in a new window
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1493-1945
Primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman collection about American history from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century.
American Indian Histories and Cultures This link opens in a new window
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1400-1950s
Primary sources for American Indian history in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books from pre-contact through the mid-20th century.
American West This link opens in a new window
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1830-1939
Pamphlets, maps, books, ephemeral material and rare printed sources related to the history of the American West.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940 (parts I and II) This link opens in a new window
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1940-present
Primary sources from more than 35 countries related to LGBTQ activism and the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Federal Government Records This link opens in a new window
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1901-2000
Records from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations detailing the interaction between civil rights leaders and the federal government; includes FBI files on Martin Luther King Jr.
Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
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Scholarship and historical sources for Black Studies.
Colonial America This link opens in a new window
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1606-1822
British government documents from the CO 5 series about administering the American colonies.
Confidential Print: Latin America This link opens in a new window
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1833-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Confidential Print: North America This link opens in a new window
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1824-1961
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America.
Defining Gender This link opens in a new window
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1500s-1920
Primary sources selected to illustrate changing views about gender, themed around conduct, domesticity, consumption and leisure, education, and the body.
Everyday Life and Women in America This link opens in a new window
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1800-1920
Primary source material for the study of American social, cultural, and popular history in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
First World War Portal This link opens in a new window
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1900-1950
Primary sources including documents, films and oral histories themed around personal experiences, propaganda and recruitment, visual perspectives and narratives, and the global conflict.
Food and Drink in History This link opens in a new window
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9th century-2015
Cookbooks, advertising ephemera, government reports, films, and other primary sources revealing the evolution of food and drink within everyday life and the public sphere.
Food Studies Online This link opens in a new window
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1900-
Food Studies Online contains 80,000 pages of primary archival materials, images, and secondary works, plus 200 hours of documentaries and series, and visual ephemera.

Key themes and disciplines with extensive coverage represented include marketing and consumerism, production and technology, food history, food movements, culinary and food design, food and identity, health, policy, religion, sociology, anthropology, and history. Coverage from the 1940s.
Gateway to North America This link opens in a new window
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1801-1900
Community histories, atlases, and other primary sources documenting people, places, and organizations of 19th century New York.
Gender: Identity and Social Change This link opens in a new window
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1800-present
Primary sources documenting the changing representations and lived experiences of gender roles and relations, like women's suffrage, the feminist movement, the men’s movement, employment, education, family and the body.
Historical Annual Reports This link opens in a new window
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1884-
Corporate annual reports from 1884 to 2008.

Update frequency: annual
A rich source for scholars in business, economics, and history, this collection of annual reports for 800 U.S. companies dating from 1884 to 2008 provides information on companies, including financial performance, key officers, competitors, and market trends.
J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America This link opens in a new window
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1880s-1990s
The J. Walter Thompson Company advertising agency archives include brand case studies and account files about campaigns for Kellogg’s, Kodak, Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Pan Am, the US Marine Corps, and more.
Jewish Life in America This link opens in a new window
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1654-1954
Organizational and personal archival collections including rare printed books and pamphlets from the American Jewish Historical Society in New York.
Latino-Hispanic American Experience: Leaders, Writers, and Thinkers This link opens in a new window
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1800-1960
Primary sources related to Hispanic-American writers and activists in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965 This link opens in a new window
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1935-1965
Market research reports and supporting documents regarding the American consumer boom of the mid-20th century from the archives of Ernest Dichter and the Institute for Motivational Research.
Medical Services and Warfare This link opens in a new window
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1850s-1930s
Primary sources from Crimean War, the American Civil War and the First World War tell the story of medical advances during warfare, including the outbreak of the influenza epidemic in 1918 and the discovery of penicillin in 1927.
Migration to New Worlds This link opens in a new window
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1800-1924
Primary sources like personal accounts, correspondence, maps, plans and photos documenting the movement of peoples from Great Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe and Asia to the New World and Australasia.
NAACP Papers This link opens in a new window
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1913-1965
Selected sets of documents from the archives of the NAACP.

Archives of the NAACP: Board of Directors, Annual Conferences, Major Speeches, and National Staff Files; The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Education, Voting, Housing, Employment, Armed Forces. Parts 1, 2, 14, 16, 17, 21; parts 3, 4, 5, 9, 13 from micro set.
Native American Archives This link opens in a new window
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1792-1940
Treaties and correspondence between the US government and American Indian tribes; also photos, census rolls, Dawes packets and enrollment cards.
Political Extremism and Radicalism: Far-Right and Left Political Groups in the U.S., Europe and Australia in the Twentieth Century (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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Campaign materials, periodicals, propaganda, government records, oral histories, and ephemera from fringe political movements on the right and the left.
Popular Culture in Britain and America This link opens in a new window
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1950-1975
Primary sources documenting music and popular culture in the US and Britain, 1950-1975, including manuscripts, video, photos, underground magazines and more.
Popular Medicine in America This link opens in a new window
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1800-1900
Advertising pamphlets, trade cards, posters and promotional work by commercial manufacturers of medical aids revealing trends such as phrenology, herbal medicine and hydrotherapy.
Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window
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1943-1970
Primary sources on the fight for civil rights, including speeches, reports, surveys and analyses produced by the Fisk University Race Relations Department’s staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.
Service Newspapers of World War Two This link opens in a new window
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1939-1948
The story of World War II as told by the newspapers that brought information, entertainment and camaraderie to the forces at home and overseas. Explore over 200 titles from key nations across the globe that took part in the world-changing conflict.
Trade Catalogues and the American Home This link opens in a new window
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1850-1950
Primary sources like catalogs, price lists, and brochures reflecting the history of consumer advertising and marketing and life and leisure in America. Includes department store catalogs, cosmetic advertisements, real estate brochures and much more.
Virginia Company Archives This link opens in a new window
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1590-1790
Archival collection of the Ferrar Papers, 1590-1790, revealing details about the Atlantic world and early Colonial period.
Women's Suffrage Collection This link opens in a new window
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1849-1913
Newspaper collections deliver an in-depth look at the eighty-year struggle by women to secure the right to vote.

The Lily. 1849-1856
National Citizen and Ballot Box. 1878-1881
The Revolution. 1868-1872
The New Citizen. 1909-1912
The Western Woman Voter. 1911-1913
The Remonstrance. 1890-1913
Women and Social Movements in the United States This link opens in a new window
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1600-2000
Books, images, historical documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies which document reform activities by and affecting women.

World history collections

Age of Exploration This link opens in a new window
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1420-1920
Primary sources like manuscripts, maps and illustrated documents, diaries and ship logs recording the experiences of Europeans as they explored trade routes, colonized the Americas and Australasia, and raced to the North and South Poles.
Apartheid South Africa This link opens in a new window
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1948-1980
British government files from the Foreign, Colonial, Dominion and Foreign and Commonwealth Offices documenting the history of South Africa's apartheid regime.
Archives Direct (all) This link opens in a new window
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1833-1981
Government and agency records from the British National Archives.

Collections sourced from The National Archives, Kew - the UK government's official archive. Subsets are: Apartheid South Africa, Confidential Print: Africa, Confidential Print: Latin America, Confidential Print: Middle East, Confidential Print: North America, Foreign Office Files for China, Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Foreign Office Files for Japan, Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, The Nixon Years, Macmillan Cabinet Papers, Women in The National Archives, Kew.
Chatham House Online This link opens in a new window
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1920-2008
Commentary, speeches and analysis on international affairs from a British non-profit NGO.
China and the Modern World: Missionary, Sinology and Literary Periodicals, 1817-1949 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1817-1949
Academic and literary journals, journals of sinology, and missionary periodicals in English about China.
China and the Modern World: Records of the Maritime Customs Service of China, 1854-1949 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1858-1949
Primary source collection for the study of China and its relations with the West in the late Qing and Republican periods.
China Studies This link opens in a new window
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1750-1980
Primary source documents like printed books, pamphlets, paintings, manuscripts, diaries, newspapers and periodicals offer evidence of Chinese life and culture over the past 300 years

Combined search of: China, America and the Pacific, China: Culture and Society, and China: Trade, Politics and Culture.
Church Missionary Society Periodicals This link opens in a new window
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1804-2009
Newspapers, journals and reports offering the perspective of Anglican missionary administrators and workers on cultural encounters and historical events.
Churchill Archive This link opens in a new window
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1690-1965 (mainly 1940-1955)
Primary source historical documents from the archives of Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during and after World War II.
East India Company This link opens in a new window
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1599-1947
British government records from the India Office chart the history of British trade and rule in the Indian subcontinent and beyond.
Eighteenth Century Drama: Censorship and the Stage This link opens in a new window
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1737-1824.
Archive of plays submitted for license in England between 1737 and 1824, as well as diaries, playbills, theatre records and correspondence.
Empire Online This link opens in a new window
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1492-1969
Primary sources about British colonies in Africa, North and South America, Australia, and South Asia, 1492-1969.
Frontier Life: Borderlands, Settlement and Colonial Encounters This link opens in a new window
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1650-1920
Primary sources like expedition records, letters, diaries and government records from Europeans creating colonies in North America, Africa, and Australasia.
Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration and Cultural Exchange This link opens in a new window
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1500-present
Primary source materials that tell the story of global trade in chocolate, coffee, cotton, fur, opium, oil, porcelain, silver and gold, spices, sugar, tea, timber, tobacco, wheat, and wine and spirits.
The Grand Tour This link opens in a new window
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1550-1850
Firsthand travel accounts of British tourists visiting Europe.
Human Rights Studies Online This link opens in a new window
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Primary and secondary materials that explain and document key human rights issues and atrocities of the twentieth century, including television footage and photographs, presidential archives, government, NGO and court documentation. Maps and reference entries provide context and historical background.
India, Raj and Empire This link opens in a new window
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1615-1947
Documents recording the history of South Asia between the initial involvement of the East India Company and Indian and Pakistani independence.
Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture: The History of Tourism This link opens in a new window
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1850-1980
Archival material from the travel agency Thomas Cook, a pioneer of package tourism. Includes periodicals such as the Excursionist magazine, personal accounts from travelers on early Cook’s tours, photographs, advertising brochures, guidebooks, posters and ephemeral items.
Literary Print Culture: The Stationers Company Archive This link opens in a new window
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1554-2007
Collection of primary source documents related to the workings of the early book trade, the printing and publishing community, the establishment of legal requirements for copyright provisions and the history of bookbinding.
London Low Life This link opens in a new window
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1800-1910
Primary sources like ballads, slang dictionaries, brothel guides and posters sold on the street during the 19th century in London.
Macmillan Cabinet Papers This link opens in a new window
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1957-1963
Archival collection from the British National Archives focused on Harold Macmillan’s government and selected policy committees.
Mass Observation Online This link opens in a new window
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1937-1960
Personal diaries, surveys, questionnaires, photos and printed research done about everyday lives of ordinary British people.

Social research organization Mass Observation was founded in 1937 by anthropologist Tom Harrisson, film-maker Humphrey Jennings and poet Charles Madge, who recruited a team of observers and a panel of volunteer writers to document their experiences as evidence for a study of the everyday lives of ordinary people in Britain.
Medieval Family Life This link opens in a new window
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1400-1500
Letters from the British Paston, Stonor, Cely, Plumpton and Armburgh Papers reveal the world of medieval family, business, relationships, trade, politics and community.
Medieval Travel Writing This link opens in a new window
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1200s-1500s
Manuscripts from journeys to central Asia and the Far East by European ambassadors, missionaries, and merchants like Marco Polo, Prester John, Sir John Mandeville, and Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo.
Meiji Japan This link opens in a new window
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1850s-1930s
Publications, papers, journals and diaries of Edward Sylvester Morse (1838-1925), a polymath notable for his work in natural history, ethnography and art history – but, perhaps most famous for his work in bringing Japan and the West closer together.
Middle East Online: Arab-Israeli Relations This link opens in a new window
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1917-1970
Primary source documents from the British Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers from the 1917 Balfour Declaration through to the Black September war of 1970-1.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Politics and Society (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1750-1916
Government and archival collections show the development of urban centers and of the restructuring of society that took place during the Industrial Revolution.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: Europe and Africa, Colonialism and Culture (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1800-1906
Primary source documentation related to the “Scramble for Africa,” colonial conquest and the legacy of slavery, missionaries, explorers, economics, world politics, and international strategy.
The Nixon Years This link opens in a new window
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1969-1974
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Nixon presidency and impeachment (FCO 7 and FCO 82).
Post-War Europe: Refugees, Exile and Resettlement This link opens in a new window
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1945-1950
Records from the National Archives of the UK reveal challenges facing Displaced Persons, refugees and humanitarian aid organizations in the aftermath of World War II.
Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War This link opens in a new window
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1873-1953
From The National Archives, U.K., documents encompass signals intelligence reports and government-directed policy and strategy from the period of Appeasement right through to the early Cold War.

British government secret intelligence and foreign policy files from 1873 to 1953, with the majority of files dating from the 1930s and 1940s, across four major conflicts – the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War, the early years of the Cold War and the Korean War.
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice This link opens in a new window
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1490-2007
Case studies documenting slavery in America, the Caribbean, Brazil and Cuba, along with material examining European, Islamic and African involvement in the slave trade.
Socialism on Film This link opens in a new window
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1918-1990
Documentaries, newsreels and feature films that reveal the 20th century world as seen by Soviet, Chinese, Vietnamese, East European, British and Latin American filmmakers.

This collection of films from the communist world reveals war, history, current affairs, culture and society as seen through the socialist lens. Covers countries such as the USSR, Vietnam, China, Korea, much of Eastern Europe, the GDR, Britain and Cuba.
South Asia Archive This link opens in a new window
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Journals, books, and primary source documents from government agencies of colonial and early post-colonial India, many from the Bengal region and some from the wider sub-continent. Also film booklets!

Substantial runs of more than 200 journals in a range of subjects published from India and South Asia, including early journals such as Asiatic Researches (first published in 1788), Indian Review, Modern Review and Calcutta Gazette. There is also an array of vernacular journals such as: Bharatbarsha, Prabasi, Manasi, and Sachitra. Also includes Indian Film Booklets, 1930 – 1949. A significant proportion of the collection is in English, but thirty percent of the documents are written in various vernacular languages of the period/region(s).
Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History This link opens in a new window
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1818-1974
Travel writing in manuscripts, diaries and correspondence as well as drawings, guidebooks and photographs.
Victorian Popular Culture, 1779 to 1930 This link opens in a new window
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1779 to 1930
Primary source material relating to popular entertainment in America, Britain, and Europe in the period from 1779 to 1930. Has books, posters, scrapbooks and optical toys.
Women and Social Movements in Modern Empires This link opens in a new window
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1820-present
Primary sources highlighting the voices of colonized women, including in China, Japan, the Philippines, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans, and South Africa. Includes Native American women, also American women in Guatemala and China.
Women in the National Archives This link opens in a new window
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1903-1962
Original documents from the National Archives on the suffrage question in Britain, the Empire and colonial territories.
World’s Fairs This link opens in a new window
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1851-2000s
Official records, monographs, publicity, artwork and artifacts about world’s fairs, exhibitions and expos.

The full text of letters and diary entries, often from works that have been previously published as books containing collections of letters or diaries. Use the Browse indexes to find works about specific historical or life events.

American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
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1860-1865
Published memoirs, letters and diaries written about and during the Civil War.
American Slave: A Composite Autobiography This link opens in a new window
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1840-1938
Narratives from people who had been enslaved that were collected by the WPA Federal Writers' Project between 1936 and 1938.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
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1500-1900.
Searchable collection of women's letters and diaries.
The Grand Tour This link opens in a new window
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1550-1850
Firsthand travel accounts of British tourists visiting Europe.
Medieval Family Life This link opens in a new window
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1400-1500
Letters from the British Paston, Stonor, Cely, Plumpton and Armburgh Papers reveal the world of medieval family, business, relationships, trade, politics and community.
North American Immigrant Letters & Diaries This link opens in a new window
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1840-
Personal narratives, including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories about immigrating to the U.S. or Canada.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
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1770-1950
Diaries, journals, and letters written by famous and not-so-famous North American women.
War Department and Indian Affairs This link opens in a new window
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1800-1824
Handwritten correspondence from Indian superintendents and agents, factors of trading posts, Territorial and State governors, and others.

Use the date range limit to narrow your search to a relevant time period.

U.S. Newspapers

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century This link opens in a new window
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1827-1902
African-American newspapers including The Colored American, all of Frederick Douglass’ newspapers, The Freedmen’s Record, and more.
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
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1690-1923
Historical newspapers from every state in the U.S.
American Indian Newspapers This link opens in a new window
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1828-2016
Includes national periodicals as well as local community news and student publications from an Indigenous perspective.
Historical Newspapers: Chicago Defender, 1909-2010 This link opens in a new window
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1909-2010
African American newspaper from Chicago, Illinois.
Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune, 1849-1998 This link opens in a new window
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1849-1998
Cover to cover digital reproductions of the Chicago Tribune with searchable full text.
Historical Newspapers: Christian Science Monitor, 1908-2007 This link opens in a new window
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1908-2007
Articles and images from The Christian Science Monitor newspaper.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
1789-1924
Newspapers from the Library of Congress, including Nevada newspapers.
Civil War 1860-1865: A Newspaper Perspective This link opens in a new window
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1860-1865
Newspaper reports of major events of the Civil War covered by both Union and Confederate sources.
Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window
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1808-1980
Newspapers published by Hispanic-American communities primarily in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas and New York.
Historical Black Newspapers from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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1893-2005
African American newspapers from Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk VA., Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.
Historical Newspapers: West Regional Collection This link opens in a new window
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Newspapers including Reno Gazette-Journal (1876-2008), San Francisco Examiner (1889-2007), and Spokane Statesman-Review (1894-2009); also includes selected 20th century newspapers from St. George, UT, and Tulare County and Salinas, CA.
Las Vegas Review Journal Archive (1929-1996) This link opens in a new window
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3/30/1929-present
Nevada daily newspaper. 1929-1996 is page images only; 1997- is article text only, no images.
Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times, 1881-1997 This link opens in a new window
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1881-1997
Historical California newspaper.
Historical Newspapers: New York Times, 1851-2017 This link opens in a new window
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1851-2017
Historical New York newspaper.
Historical Newspapers: New York Tribune, 1841-1922 This link opens in a new window
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1841-1922
Full text of New York Tribune, 1841-1922.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1800-1900
American newspapers including the New York Herald, Lynchburg Virginian, The Hawaiian Gazette, Rocky Mountain News, Southern Illustrated News (VA), Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago), the Milwaukee Sentinel, and many more.
San Francisco Chronicle, 1865-current This link opens in a new window
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1865-1984, 1985-current
Full page images of the daily San Francisco Chronicle, Northern California's largest circulation newspaper, through 1984. Text of articles only after 1985.
South Carolina Newspapers This link opens in a new window
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1732-1775, 1777-1780
The South Carolina Gazette published news and details of life and trade in America during the years prior to independence.
Historical Newspapers: Washington Post, 1877-2004 This link opens in a new window
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1877-2004
Text and images from The Washington Post

World Newspapers

British Library Newspapers (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1732-1950
National and regional British newspapers representing different political and cultural views.

Historical Irish Times
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1859-2019

Historical Newspapers: South China Morning Post, 1903-2001 This link opens in a new window
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1903-2001
English-language Hong Kong daily newspaper.
Times Digital Archive, 1785-2014 This link opens in a new window
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1785-2014
The Times (London) newspaper.

search tips

Searching Newspaper Databases

Google News Archive
Mostly American and Canadian papers, 19th and 20th century.
United States Online Historic Newspapers
List of digitized historical newspaper collections, including many that are free.
Historical Nevada Newspapers list
Summary of online Las Vegas and Nevada newspapers

Search for articles published in popular magazines and journals from different times in history.

U.S. Periodical Collections

African American Historical Serials Collection, 1816-1922 This link opens in a new window
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1816-1922
Newspapers and magazines published by African American churches, educational and service institutions.
American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society, Part I-V (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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1684-1912
Popular magazines, newspapers, and journals published in the United States.

EBSCO version offers subject indexing. Also searchable via Gale or Gale Primary Sources combined search portal.
American Periodicals Series This link opens in a new window
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1740-1940
Magazines and journals published in the U.S. mostly before 1900.
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection This link opens in a new window
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1750-present
Publications documenting the Hispanic culture of the United States - history, literature, political commentary, and culture. Written in Spanish (80%) and English (20%).
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
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1880-2015
Music, film, broadcasting and theater industry trade publications published before 2015 including Variety, Billboard, Spin, The Hollywood Reporter, American Cinematographer, American Film, Picturegoer and more.
Godey's Lady's Book This link opens in a new window
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1830-1880
American magazine with firsthand information on social, historical and cultural aspects of the 19th century.
Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window
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1867-
Harper's Bazaar magazine shows changes in American fashion, culture and society.
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
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1892-
Images and text from Vogue Magazine
Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
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1887-2005
American women's magazines including Better Homes and Gardens, Chatelaine, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, Parents Magazine, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Essence.
Women's Wear Daily Archive This link opens in a new window
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1910-
Comprehensive archive of Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), the leading fashion-industry trade paper.

World Periodical Collections

British Periodicals Collection I and II This link opens in a new window
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1681-1920
Popular British periodicals mostly from the 19th century.
Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2014 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1843-2015
Issues of The Economist, a news magazine with a global scope published in London.
Eighteenth Century Journals This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1685-1835
Literary, satirical, political, religious and theatrical magazines and newspapers from Britain, Ireland, Scotland, India and the Caribbean.
Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals, part I: Women's, Children's, Humour, and Leisure (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1800-1900
Magazines revealing British life in the Victorian age and the events, lifestyles, values, and ideas that shaped their world.
Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals, part II: Empire (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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1800-1900
Magazines by and for British imperial colonizers, settlers and travelers.
South Asia Archive This link opens in a new window
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Journals, books, and primary source documents from government agencies of colonial and early post-colonial India, many from the Bengal region and some from the wider sub-continent. Also film booklets!

Substantial runs of more than 200 journals in a range of subjects published from India and South Asia, including early journals such as Asiatic Researches (first published in 1788), Indian Review, Modern Review and Calcutta Gazette. There is also an array of vernacular journals such as: Bharatbarsha, Prabasi, Manasi, and Sachitra. Also includes Indian Film Booklets, 1930 – 1949. A significant proportion of the collection is in English, but thirty percent of the documents are written in various vernacular languages of the period/region(s).

Digitized collections of books published during different time periods.

America's Historical Imprints This link opens in a new window
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1639-1923
PDFs of books, pamphlets and broadsides published in North America, including most books published between 1639-1819.

Combined search for American Broadsides and Ephemera, American Pamphlets, and Early American Imprints 1 (Shaw) and 2 (Evans).
American Broadsides and Ephemera This link opens in a new window
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1749-1900
Printed menus, advertisements, cards, playbills, poems and other printed items never intended to last.
American Pamphlets This link opens in a new window
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1820-1922
Pamphlets with advice and opinions about all kinds of 19th century controversies.
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1639-1800
Complete books, pamphlets and broadsides published in North America before 1800.
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819 This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1801-1819
Complete books, pamphlets and broadsides published in North America between 1801 and 1819.
Early English Books Online (EEBO) This link opens in a new window
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1475-1700
Books on all subjects published in England between 1475 and 1700.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new window
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1701-1800
Books on all subjects published in English between 1701 and 1800.
Gerritsen Collection-Women's History Online, 1543-1945 This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1543-1945
Books and periodicals reflecting the evolution of a feminist consciousness and the movement for women's rights.
Hathi Trust This link opens in a new window
Access to nearly any public domain (pre-1924) book owned and scanned by a library. UNLV users can login with their ACE accounts and download entire "full view" books/documents.
Making of Modern Law (MOML): Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1600-1926
The Gale Primary Sources interface allows cross-searching of five Making of Modern Law databases: Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative and International Law 1600-1926, Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources 1620-1926, Making of Modern Law: Treatises, 1800-1926, and Making of Modern Law: Trials 1600-1926.
Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1500-1926
Digital library of works written or published in the United States, as well as items printed elsewhere, that document the history of the Americas (North, Central, South and the Caribbean) from 1492 to the mid-1800s.

Primary sources that offer original accounts of exploration, settlement, military actions, Native Americans, westward expansion, European relations with Latin America and more. Based on Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana.
South Asia Archive This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Journals, books, and primary source documents from government agencies of colonial and early post-colonial India, many from the Bengal region and some from the wider sub-continent. Also film booklets!

Substantial runs of more than 200 journals in a range of subjects published from India and South Asia, including early journals such as Asiatic Researches (first published in 1788), Indian Review, Modern Review and Calcutta Gazette. There is also an array of vernacular journals such as: Bharatbarsha, Prabasi, Manasi, and Sachitra. Also includes Indian Film Booklets, 1930 – 1949. A significant proportion of the collection is in English, but thirty percent of the documents are written in various vernacular languages of the period/region(s).

Official government publications, including laws, treaties, and records of legislative proceedings.

United States

Congressional Publications (ProQuest Congressional) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1789-
U.S. legislative information, including access to many full-text Congressional publications, bills, laws, regulations, committee information, and more. Includes the U.S. Serial Set.

Comprehensive access to U.S. legislative information, including access to many full-text Congressional publications, bills, laws, regulations, committee information, and more. Additionally, searchers can retrieve CIS Legislative Histories for public laws. Contains an index of congressional publications from 1789 to the present and locate information about members and committees. Statutes at Large and Congressional Indexes from 1789-1969 are included.
Digital U.S. Bills and Resolutions 1789-2016 This link opens in a new window
1789-present
Contains searchable full text of all U.S. bills and resolutions from 1789 to the present.

Individual bills may be directly accessed or searched via a composite bill profile page that links out to its various versions.
HeinOnline Law Journal Library This link opens in a new window
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Online law journals and full text federal legal materials.

HeinOnline is an image-based, fully searchable database made up primarily of law journals. Newer content is not added until the end of a volume year so the most recent issues are likely a year old. Coverage varies by title, but most sources go back to volume one. In addition to journals, it also contains treaties, the federal register, some classic treatises and some federal legislative materials. Subscription to HeinOnline is sponsored by the Wiener-Rogers Law Library.
Military & Government This link opens in a new window
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1751-present
Government reports, laws, legislative histories, ebooks and selected scholarly articles related to branches of the United States armed forces.

Research government administration of the armed forces along with issues confronting the military on and off the battlefield with access to primary source documents including committee prints, government reports, congressional hearings, legislative hearings, etc. The database also includes books, serials, periodicals and scholarly articles.
Territorial Papers of the United States This link opens in a new window
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1764-1953
Archival records of each territory of the United States before statehood. Includes Native American negotiations and treaties, correspondence with federal agencies, military records, judicial proceedings, population details, financial statistics, land records, and more.

Official documents include correspondence between territorial officials and federal agencies, details of tribal treaties, accounts of battles and troop movements, petitions for statehood, and records of agricultural and industrial production. Collections also contain firsthand accounts of frontier life via letters and financial documents.

Great Britain

U.K. Parliamentary Papers This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1801-2000
Bills, reports, correspondence and command papers all highlight Britain's role in the political, social, economic and foreign policy arenas.
Archives Direct (all) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1833-1981
Government and agency records from the British National Archives.

Collections sourced from The National Archives, Kew - the UK government's official archive. Subsets are: Apartheid South Africa, Confidential Print: Africa, Confidential Print: Latin America, Confidential Print: Middle East, Confidential Print: North America, Foreign Office Files for China, Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Foreign Office Files for Japan, Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, The Nixon Years, Macmillan Cabinet Papers, Women in The National Archives, Kew.
Confidential Print: Africa This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1834-1966
Primary source documents about African colonies generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices of the British government between 1834 and 1966.
Confidential Print: Latin America This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1833-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Confidential Print: Middle East This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1839-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan.
Confidential Print: North America This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1824-1961
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America.
East India Company This link opens in a new window
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1599-1947
British government records from the India Office chart the history of British trade and rule in the Indian subcontinent and beyond.
Empire Online This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1492-1969
Primary sources about British colonies in Africa, North and South America, Australia, and South Asia, 1492-1969.
Foreign Office Files for China This link opens in a new window
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1919-1980
British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.
Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan This link opens in a new window
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1947-1980
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Foreign Office Files for Japan This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1919-1952
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on Japan: sections on Japanese Imperialism and the War in the Pacific, 1931-1945; Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952; and Japan and Great Power Status, 1919-1930.
Foreign Office Files for the Middle East This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1971-1981
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Middle East in the 1970s.
India, Raj and Empire This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1615-1947
Documents recording the history of South Asia between the initial involvement of the East India Company and Indian and Pakistani independence.
Making of Modern Law (MOML): Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1600-1926
The Gale Primary Sources interface allows cross-searching of five Making of Modern Law databases: Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative and International Law 1600-1926, Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources 1620-1926, Making of Modern Law: Treatises, 1800-1926, and Making of Modern Law: Trials 1600-1926.
Middle East Online: Arab-Israeli Relations This link opens in a new window
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1917-1970
Primary source documents from the British Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers from the 1917 Balfour Declaration through to the Black September war of 1970-1.
Post-War Europe: Refugees, Exile and Resettlement This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1945-1950
Records from the National Archives of the UK reveal challenges facing Displaced Persons, refugees and humanitarian aid organizations in the aftermath of World War II.
Routledge English Historical Documents This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
476 -1914
Primary sources with editorial commentary representing significant British historical documents, like treaties, statutes, declarations, government and cabinet proceedings and more.
South Asia Archive This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Journals, books, and primary source documents from government agencies of colonial and early post-colonial India, many from the Bengal region and some from the wider sub-continent. Also film booklets!

Substantial runs of more than 200 journals in a range of subjects published from India and South Asia, including early journals such as Asiatic Researches (first published in 1788), Indian Review, Modern Review and Calcutta Gazette. There is also an array of vernacular journals such as: Bharatbarsha, Prabasi, Manasi, and Sachitra. Also includes Indian Film Booklets, 1930 – 1949. A significant proportion of the collection is in English, but thirty percent of the documents are written in various vernacular languages of the period/region(s).

Digitized photos and art images.

Nineteenth Century Collections Online: Photography (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Collections of photographs, photograph albums, photographically illustrated books, and texts on the early history of photography found in libraries and archives across the globe.
ARTstor This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Art digital images and related data.

A repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, social sciences and related data; the tools to actively use those images; and a restricted usage environment that seeks to balance the rights of content providers with the needs and interests of content user.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog This link opens in a new window
Images held by the Prints and Photographs division of the Library of Congress.

The Prints and Photographs Online Catalog contains catalog records and digital images representing a rich cross-section of still pictures held by the Prints & Photographs Division and other units of the Library of Congress. About 90% of the records are accompanied by one or more digital images. In some collections, only thumbnail images display to those searching outside the Library of Congress because of potential rights considerations.

Life Photo Archive
Millions of news and editorial photographs and other images dating from 1750 to the present. Includes many iconic images, but most were never published.
NYPL Digital Photo Collections
Includes several fashion design collections as well as many historical photos from the NY Public Library.
Smithsonian Photography Initiative
Online database of photographs dating from the 1850s to the present. Subjects cover the arts and literature, culture and society, nature and science, industry and technology, history and geography. Includes both professional photos and amateur snapshots.
UNLV digital photo collections
Search collection of photos of Nevadans and more held in UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives.
Fedflix Public Domain Video
Films in the public domain created by US government agencies on topics like highways, aviation, archives and more.

These links allow you to search across multiple databases at the same time.

AM Explorer This link opens in a new window
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1493-1975
Search all archival collections from Adam Matthew Publishers.
Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
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Includes 19th Century UK Periodicals, Archives of Sexuality & Gender (LGBTQ History), British Library Newspapers, The Economist (1843-2014), Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, Sabin Americana (1500-1926), China and the Modern World, London Times Digital Archive, and London Times Literary Supplement.
Historical U.S. Newspapers from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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1841-2000 with some more recent
Search all ProQuest U.S. historical newspaper collections simultaneously.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Defender‎ (1909 - 1975)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune‎ (1849 - 1993)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Christian Science Monitor‎ (1908 - 2003)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times‎ (1881 - 1993)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times‎ (1851 - 2013)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Tribune‎ (1841 - 1922)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post‎ (1877 - 2000)
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. West, including Reno Gazette-Journal (1876-2008), San Francisco Examiner (1889-2007), and Spokane Statesman-Review (1894-2009)
Historical Black Newspapers from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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1893-2005
African American newspapers from Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Norfolk VA., Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.
Historical Periodicals from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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1740-1940 with some more recent
Search all ProQuest historical periodical collections simultaneously.

American Periodicals‎ (1740 - 1940)
British Periodicals‎ (1681 - 1939)
Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive‎ (1880 - 2000)
The Harper's Bazaar Archive‎ (1867 - current)
Periodicals Archive Online‎
The Vogue Archive‎
Women's Magazine Archive‎ (1846 - 2005)
The Women's Wear Daily Archive‎
Readex AllSearch This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1639-1922
Combined search of American historical newspapers (1690-1922), printed books (1639-1819), and pamphlets and ephemera (1749-1922).

Search all collections of historical primary sources from Readex simultaneously: America's Historical Newspapers, American Broadsides and Ephemera; American Pamphlets; Early American Imprints (Evans and Shaw-Shoemaker).

Accessible Archives combined search
Cross search 19thC American periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, and clippings.

more... less...

Collections include African American Newspapers, The Civil War A Newspaper Perspective, Godey's Lady's Book, South Carolina Newspapers (colonial), and antislavery and woman suffrage publications.
EBSCO 19th C periodicals
Cross search American Antiquarian Society periodicals with African American Serials, Gateway to North America collections.

Primary Source collections online

Digital libraries of Europe
List of national libraries with online collections.
Digital Public Library of America
Searches scanned primary sources from archives, museums and libraries across the USA.
DIPPAM: Documenting Ireland: Parliament, People and Migration
DIPPAM is an online virtual archive of documents and sources relating to the history of Ireland and its migration experience from the 18th to late 20th centuries.
EuroDocs
European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated.
Europeana
Europeana is a European digital library which gives access to online collections of many European institutions (archives, libraries, museums).
European History primary sources
The purpose of EHPS is to provide an easily searchable index of scholarly digital repositories that contain primary sources for the history of Europe.
The European Library
Access to the collections of the 48 National Libraries of Europe and leading European Research Libraries. Not updated after 2016.
Historical Research in Europe
Database that lets you identify existing archival collections. Try the guided search option to browse by topic.
Hoover Institution WWII collections
With more than fourteen hundred archival collections, Hoover's holdings on World War II are expansive, covering every theater of war in a multitude of languages. Those materials provide a variety of perspectives, from the directives of military officers to clandestine materials by underground movements.
Imperial War Museums digital collections
IWM’s collections cover all aspects of twentieth and twenty-first century conflict involving Britain, the Commonwealth and other former empire countries. They were intended to record the 'toil and sacrifice' of every individual affected by war.
The National Archives - The Cabinet Papers 1915 - 1980
Core records of the British Cabinet from 1915 to 1979 have been digitised, and their full text is searchable online.
World Digital Library
Significant primary materials from all countries and cultures organized by the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO and in cooperation with libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations from around the world.

slides from Sept 8 class

Class presentation 9/8 slides

sample document collections

dp.la Primary Source Sets
Primary source collections exploring topics in history, literature, and culture developed by educators.
Library of Congress primary source sets
Items selected from the Library of Congress on specific topics
National Archives DocsTeach topics list
Collections of sources from the National Archives browsable by topic
Women and Social Movements in the US document projects
Scholars assemble collections of primary documents related to a research question.

Reference sources

Routledge Companion to British History
Encyclopedia with entries for significant people, places and events.
Reader's Companion to American History

Keesings World News Archive This link opens in a new window
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1931-
Over 100,000 reports of significant political, social, and economic events of the world since 1931.

Update frequency: Last updated in 2016
Neutral and accurate reports created by editors who summarize details of significant events around the world. Among the events covered are elections and changes of government; wars, treaties, appointments, and diplomacy; terrorism and issues of internal security; legislation, budgets, economic developments and international agreements; actions by the UN and other international organizations; natural disasters, environmental issues, and scientific discoveries.

List of all Oxford Handbooks in History

The Oxford Handbook of European History, 1914-1945 by Nicholas Doumanis
ISBN: 9780199695669
Publication Date: 2016
Chapters on various political, social, and economic subjects by some of the leading scholars working on modern European history today.
The Oxford Handbook of Postwar European History by Dan Stone
ISBN: 9780199560981
Publication Date: 2012
A guide to the numerous ways in which historians are now rewriting the history of postwar Europe.

Readers's Guide to British History
Each entry lists 6-12 of the best-known books on a subject, then discusses those works in an essay of 800 to 1,000 words prepared by an expert in the field.

Lists of collections

Microform Research Collections

List of world history microform collections at UNLV
Microfilmed research collections are housed in the cabinets on the second floor to the left of the grad commons. There are two computers set up to scan the film behind the grad commons near tutoring and one on the first floor.
Browse all microfilm collections at UNLV

humanities librarian

Priscilla Finley, humanities librarian

Email Me

Contact:

Lied Library LLB1187

(702) 570-1338

Subjects: English, Film Studies, History, Literature, Philosophy, Theater Arts, World Languages and Cultures

HIST 451, Capstone Research: Library Guides