What Are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are documents from the time period, people, and events of the time under consideration. Primary sources can be:
- diaries or correspondence
- photographs
- illustrations
- newspaper articles (from the time period)
- manuscripts
- pamphlets, broadsides, or other ephemera
Primary Sources
- Age of Exploration This link opens in a new window
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Includes five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts in this multi-archive collection dedicated to the history of exploration. Collection also includes images, video, and audio.
- Archivo de la Universidad de SalamancaArchives from the oldest university in the Hispanic world, with documents dating back to the 13th century.
- Biblioteca de CatalunyaLibrary of Catalan documents and books.
- Biblioteca Nacional de EspañaHistorical collections from Spain's National Library
- Biblioteca Nacional de PortugalPortugal's National Library
- Biblioteca Virtual de Prensa HistóricaDigitized Spanish-language historical newspapers.
- Early European Books This link opens in a new window
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Traces the history of printing in Europe from its origins through to the close of the 17th century, offering full-color, high-resolution facsimile images of rare and hard-to-access printed sources. - Empire Online This link opens in a new window
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Primary source manuscripts and secondary essays relevant to Empire Studies. The sections cover Cultural Contacts, 1492-1969; Empire Writing and the Literature of Empire; The Visible Empire; Religion & Empire; and Race, Class & Colonialism, 1783-1969.
- EuropeanaCultural heritage materials from a wide range of archives, libraries and museums in the European Union.
- European Colonialism in the Early 20th Century: Political and Economic Consolidation of Portuguese Colonies in Africa, 1910-1929 (Archives Unbound) This link opens in a new window
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This collection comprises correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the Portuguese colonial government and the activities of the native peoples. Highlights include the beginning of an anti-colonial movement and the industrialization and economic exploitation of Portugal’s African colonies. - Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration and Cultural Exchange This link opens in a new window
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Portal that includes visual, manuscript and printed materials sourced from multiple libraries, companies, and trade organizations. It charts the history of 15 major commodities, including chocolate, coffee, oil, and sugar.
- HispanaCultural heritage documents from over 100 Spanish institutions.
- Instituto Nacional de EstadísticaNational statistics, including historical censuses
- Legislación HistóricaArchive of historical legislation and laws in Spain.
- PARES: Portal de Archivos EspañolesPortal that gives access to digitized historic documents from several Spanish archives.
- Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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Searchable books, serials, manuscripts, court records, and reference publications. Access available for parts 1-4: Debates over Slavery and Abolition, Slave Trade in the Atlantic World, The Institution of Slavery, and The Age of Emancipation.
Online Archive of California
A searchable database that provides access to materials such as letters, manuscripts, photographs, maps, oral histories, and works of art held in libraries, museums, archives, and other institutions across California, including the UC campuses. Contains more than 20,000 online collection guides, and provides access to more than 170,000 digital images and documents.
- Online Archive of California (OAC) This link opens in a new windowFinding aids for primary source collections in all UC campuses and other contributing institutions, including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California.