Primary Document Research

It's prime time for assignments, and students in history classes are on the hunt for primary documents.  Here are some of the great reference sets on our shelves:

• Milestone Documents of World Religions    BL74 .M56 2011
• Daily Life through World  History in Primary Documents     CB69 . D35 2009
• Milestone Documents in World History     D5 . M54 2010
• The Annals of American History     E173 .A793
• Milestone Documents in American History     E173 .M63
• Milestone Documents of American Leaders     E173 .M632
• Milestone Documents in African American History     E184.6 .M55 2010

Several databases also have good collections of primary documents.  In the following databases, it's possible to execute a search and then narrow results to primary documents:   Ancient and Medieval World History; Modern World History; Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Salem History. In the History Reference Center, it's possible to use "Primary Source Document" as a pre-search limiter when using Advanced Search. And remember that American History in Video has many primary sources in non-print form. Preselect interview or newsreel in the advanced search.

Faculty are increasingly guiding their students to excellent online archives on the deep web. Some of these are easily browsed.  Some are a trip down the rabbit hole, with wonders in store for those willing to take the journey.  You might enjoy exploring a few of the following:

• American Memory Project   http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
• Internet History Sourcebooks (Fordham U)   http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ 
• National Archives   http://www.archives.gov/index.html
• National History Day US History Primary Sources   http://www.nhd.org/USHistoryPrimarySources.htm 
• National History Day World History Primary Sources   http://www.nhd.org/WorldHistoryPrimarySources.htm
• Perseus Digital Library http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/

There is an amazing research guide from Newton Gresham Library on US History at http://shsulibraryguides.org/usprimary  and one on World History at
http://shsulibraryguides.org/worldprimary

If you have some other great resources to add to this list, please send them and we'll have a "Part 2."