Research Guides: World War I History: Find Sources

Primary Sources

DPLA - Digital Public Library of America This link opens in a new window
Use this database to find primary source material on all periods of American history. It is a digital library of photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents and more, from libraries, archives, museums and other cultural heritage institutions.

Find articles

Use these library databases to find articles on topics in American history:

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Use Credo to find background information on your topic, and identify key words to use as you continue your research. Credo is an authoritative alternative to Wikipedia.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Use this database for scholarly articles in history, literature, humanities, and the social sciences. JSTOR includes the ArtStor database and many of the most important journals in these areas, generally from the first volume published through three years ago. Current issues are generally not available in JSTOR.
World History Collection This link opens in a new window
Use this database to research history. It includes magazines and scholarly journals.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Use this database to find peer-reviewed articles in all fields of the humanities. It also includes reviews of drama, poetry, ballets, dance, motion pictures, musicals, operas, radio, and television programs.

Find books

Search the library’s ebook collection:

eBook Central This link opens in a new window
Use this to find ebooks in many academic subject areas. To search this and other ebook collections all at once, use the Begley Library catalog advanced search, limited to collection: electronic resources / ebook.
eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
Use this to find ebooks in academic subject areas. To search this and other ebook collections all at once, use the Begley Library catalog advanced search, limited to collection: electronic resources / ebook.

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The librarian says...

What is a primary source?

Primary sources are materials that provide first-hand information that is factual, without analysis or interpretation. The accounts may be from the time they occurred or created at a later date by someone with first-hand knowledge; for example, a memoir.

Types of primary source materials may be words, images, or objects.

Some examples are:

Artifacts like fossils, furnuture, clothing, pottery or jewelry
Original works of art, literature, or music; e.g., a novel or a painting
Autobiographies (not biographies)
Correspondence
Government documents; e.g., laws, presidential papers
Vital records like birth certificates
Diaries, letters, interviews, manuscripts
Personal narratives
Photographs, postcards, maps
Published results of clinical trials or experiments
Newspaper and magazine articles that contain first-hand factual accounts