Skip to Main Content

Primary & Secondary Sources

This guide will help you learn the difference between primary and secondary sources in various subject areas and provides resources for locating primary sources, both in the library and on the open web.

World History & Cultures Resources

World Digital Library (Library of Congress) A cooperative project of the Library of Congress, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and partner libraries, archives, and educational and cultural institutions from the United States and around the world. The project brings together on a single website rare and unique documents – books, journals, manuscripts, maps, prints and photographs, films, and sound recordings – that tell the story of the world’s cultures.

EVIA Digital Archive of Ethnographic Video A joint effort of Indiana University and the University of Michigan to establish a digital archive of ethnographic video for use by scholars and instructors. Media in the EVIA Project consists of video collections that have been selected for inclusion by an editorial committee, and annotations have gone through a scholarly review process.

Internet History Sourcebooks Project A collection that provides links to historical texts for Ancient History, Medieval Studies, and Modern History. There are also some thematically based subsets that include African History, East Asia History, Indian History, Jewish History, and History of Science.

New York Public Library Digital Library Collection Provides thousands of digital images from the NYPL collections including historical maps, illuminated manuscripts, and prints and photographs. It contains texts and images from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

World War I Document Archive Extensive collection of transcribed documents related to World War I. Includes official documents, diaries, books, and images. Hosted by Brigham Young University Library.

Getty Search Gateway The Getty Search Gateway allows users to search across several of the Getty repositories, including collections databases, library catalogs, collection inventories, and archival finding aids.This tool is designed to help researchers, scholars, and educators discover the variety of resources available across the Getty's collections, which include collections in each the four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, and the Getty Research Institute. Users can use the tool to browse our collections broadly, by type of resource (i.e., paintings, books, archives), or to search directly for assets related to very specific subjects—historical periods, artists, object types, etc.