Published memoirs, letters, diaries, and collections of source documents can serve as primary sources, depending on your topic. Beyond these "first person accounts," books published at the time of your topic can reveal a great deal about the attitudes and assumptions of the time.
For example, studies on agriculture and economics in the South that were published in the 1910s and 1920s can tell you about the way economists, politicians, and planners envisioned the "New South" at that time.
Try to add terms such as "sources," "personal narratives," "memoirs," or "correspondence" to your search terms to locate published sources, for example:
| african american women sources | south* race relations sources |
| great depression personal narratives | railroads personal narratives |
To find books by particular persons or organizations, such under that person's name as author, for example:
| carver, george washington | fugitives |
| hamer, fannie lou | southern tenant farmer's union |
Use the date limits in OneSearch and other catalogs to find books published at the time of your topic, for example:
| agriculture arkansas > published between 1900 and 1930 |
| race relations southern states > published between 1900 and 1930 |
Popular periodicals and magazines easily convey the atmosphere of the time in which they were published. Not only the feature articles, but also the illustrations, editorial statements, and advertisements can serve as primary sources.
This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window
Finding and using newspapers is a big topic. You can read the Research Guide for Newspaper Research for more in-depth information.
These resources have full text online that can be searched by keyword.
This link opens in a new windowCovers: 1800-1900.A fully-searchable, facsimile archive of hundreds of U.S. papers, including the Arkansas Gazette (1819-1898), Arkansas Democrat (1846-1899), the Arkansas State Gazette (1836-1865), and the Morning Republican (Little Rock, 1867-1875).
This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new windowMicrofilm and microfiche are housed in Multimedia Services on Level 2 of Mullins Library.
First time using fiche or film? Don't be intimidated. Ask at the Periodicals Desk or main service desk for assistance.
You can scan images (PDF or JPG format) of microfilm to a jump drive or to your email account. Instructions for scanning.
There is a guide to all microfilm research sets post on our website. Below are a few that might be useful for this class:
The University Libraries have been a selective depository for United States documents since 1907, and we hold United States federal documents dating back to the 18th century. Documents are housed in Mullins Library, in Young Law Library, and in offsite storage and can be found in print, microform, and onlne
From 1976 - present most United States documents can be found in OneSearch.
Earlier documents may also be found in OneSearch or by using print or online indexes such as ProQuest Congressional. However, many pre-1976 documents can only be located by asking us.
Documents in the USDOC collection are arranged according to the Superintendent of Documents classification numbering system (SuDoc). More about the Superintendent of Documents System.
Many libraries and archives have digitized important source collections and placed them online for everyone.
Some of the recommended sites listed here are free to all, others are subscription collections that the University Libraries have purchased for your use.
Please suggest other sources for this list by using the comments link below.
This link opens in a new window