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History: Primary/Secondary Sources

This guide introduces students to resources available for historical research.

Primary Sources - Definition and Examples

Primary Source - a one-of-a-kind item that contains first-hand information. Examples:

Letters
Diaries
Photographs
Interviews
Video/film footage
Artwork
Literature
Music
Autobiographies
Original research

Secondary Sources - Definition and Examples

Secondary Source - an item that interprets, describes, or evaluates a primary source, or is based upon a primary source.

Examples:

Books
Articles
Biographies
Reviews
The paper you are writing for your history course

Primary and Secondary Sources Video

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Locating Primary Sources - Ebook Collections

These titles in the American Eras: Primary Sources series may be helpful:

These titles from the Credo Reference database may be useful:

Locating Primary Sources - Web Sites

These sites may help you locate primary sources:

Finding Primary Sources on the Web (created by Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association)
Digital Collections of the Library of Congress
America's Historical Documents (National Archives)
U.S. History and Historical Documents (usa.gov)
Primary Documents in American History (Library of Congress)
The New York Public Library Digital Collections
Getty Search Gateway (The J. Paul Getty Trust)

Government Information Data Rescue
From the University of Virginia Library, a guide linking to trusted repositories that have rescued U.S. government data.
Finding Government Information During 2025 Administration Transition
From the University of Minnesota, this guide gives links to resources that identify and track steps taken by the Trump administration and Congress to scale back or eliminate access to federal government information. It also provides links to groups performing data and website rescue.