Research Guides: History 100: Primary, secondary &amp; tertiary sources

Primary, second & tertiary information

Finding primary, secondary and tertiary sources in the BVU Catalog

The BVU Catalog can provide access to many materials that may be considered primary resources. Look for these words used in the book description to identify if the book is a primary, secondary or tertiary source.

Primary Sources	Secondary Sources	Tertiary Sources
Autobiography	Biography	Encyclopedias
Correspondence or Letters	Analysis	Almanacs
Speeches	Dissertation	Chronologies
Diaries		Timeline
Interviews		Dictionary
Archives
Personal narratives

These same words can be used to identify primary sources that exist OUTSIDE the BVU Library Collection. To see what books have been published on your topic that are owned by other libraries, check the BVU Library catalog, and change the "Held by Library" option to "Libraries Worldwide." Items you identify here can often by obtained through interlibrary loan.

Primary Sources (Web & Databases)

Finding Primary Sources on the Web
Links to North American and European historical primary documents, compiled for you by the librarians at Reference User's Services Association of the American Library Association. Sorry, no Asian, African, or Australian sites included here.
Reading, Writing and Researching for History
Patrick Rael, Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students (Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College, 2004)
Copyright 2004 Patrick Rael, Professor of History, Bowdoin College
more...less...
A Bowdoin College history professor put together this handy guide for history students. Even though it was compiled some time ago, it still holds up well!

BVU Databases for Primary material

American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1, 1691-1820 This link opens in a new window
Provides nearly two centuries of digitized American and imported magazines and journals detailing American history and culture during the Revolution and early republic.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 2 (1821-1837) This link opens in a new window
Periodical collection of digitized American magazines and journals detailing American history and culture from 1821-1837.These specialized collections cover advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry and professions, religious issues, culture and the arts, and more.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 3 (1838-1852) This link opens in a new window
Periodical collection of digitized American magazines and journals detailing American history and culture from 1838-1852.These specialized collections cover advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry and professions, religious issues, culture and the arts, and more.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 4 (1853-1865) This link opens in a new window
Periodical collection of digitized American magazines and journals detailing American history and culture from 1853-1865.These specialized collections cover advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry and professions, religious issues, culture and the arts, and more.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 5, 1866-1877 This link opens in a new window
Digitized American publications that illustrate the aftermath of the American Civil War, the emancipation of African Americans and their incorporation into American society and the westward expansion.
Archives of Sexuality & Gender: This link opens in a new window
Presents important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of the twentieth century including LGBTQ activism, the HIV/AIDS crisis, the Gay Rights Movement and more. Repositories for this collection include: Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation; Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives; Women's Energy Bank; GLBT Historical Society; and other archives.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
This website contains approximately 1,600 documents focused on six different phases of Black Freedom: Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860),
The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877), Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932), The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945), , The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975), and The Contemporary Era (1976-2000).
DPLA: Digital Public Library of America This link opens in a new window
Provides a collection of digital resources from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States.
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 This link opens in a new window
This bibliographic database is a valuable index of European works that relate to the Americas. Contains more than 32,000 entries and is a comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.
HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
A preservation repository with millions of volumes digitized by Google, the Internet Archive, and HathiTrust’s partner institutions. Approximately one-third of the volumes are in the public domain and can be viewed in their entirety.
HeinOnline Academic This link opens in a new window
In the context of locating primary documens, this database may include the text of U.S. laws and court trials, treaties, and other important government documents.
New York Times This link opens in a new window
Our Academic Site License provides full access to the New York Times, 1851-present. Access to the International New York Times and the New York Times in Chinese is also available. Users must register individually using a bvu.edu email address, which provides access for 364 days.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
With digital facsimile images of both full pages and clipped articles for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers and advanced searching capabilities, researchers will be able to research history in ways previously unavailable. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transatlantic Archive This link opens in a new window
The largest and most ambitious project of its kind, this collection is devoted to the scholarly study and understanding of slavery from a multinational perspective.
London Times, 1785-1985 This link opens in a new window
First published in 1785, The Times of London is widely considered to be the world's 'newspaper of record'. The Times Digital Archive allows users to search over 200 years of this invaluable historical source.
Women's Studies Archive This link opens in a new window
Women's Studies Archive provides a history of the social, political, and professional aspects of women's lives and offers a look at the roles, experiences, and achievements of women in society. Through a variety of documents such as diaries, letters, photographs, news clippings, organizational records, and journals, it presents a record of the issues that have affected women, societal contributions, social status, and women's movements.