World History: Primary Sources
What is a primary source?
In the study of history, primary sources are documents, photographs, recordings, and artifacts created by contemporary historical actors or witnesses to historical events. Primary sources necessarily form the foundation of historical research. In the resources below you can find rich and multidimensional collections of primary sources from every era and reflecting every facet of world history.
Lesser Ury, Abend im Café Bauer (Evening at the Café Bauer). 1898. German. Oil on canvas. Public domain (Source: Wikiart.org).
Images
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AP ImagesThousands of photos, graphics, and sound bites accompanying AP news stories.
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ARTstorCurated collections of top-quality images of artworks and rich metadata.
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Digital Collections - University at Buffalo LibrariesThousands of images relevant to historical research in multiple unique collections.
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Digital Public Library of AmericaRich, primary-source image material from libraries, archives, and museums in the U.S.
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EuropeanaMillions of images and other audiovisual materials from European libraries, archives, and museums.
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ProQuest History VaultPrimary source images related to the most widely studied topics in 19th and 20th-century American history.
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Google ImagesSearch millions of images on the open web.
Guides to Research With Images
Researchers seeking images for use in historical inquiry will find these guides especially useful:
Newspapers, Periodicals, Statistics
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FactivaThousands of full-text newspapers.
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Gale OneFile NewsCollection of more than 1000 English language news sources.
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Defender (1910-1975)Historical local, regional, and national news from the middle of the 20th century.
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2013) with Index (1851-1993)Historical local, regional, national, and international news from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
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Periodicals Archive OnlineArchive of hundreds of journals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, offering full-text access to more and more of the journals indexed in its sister database, Periodicals Index Online.
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Periodicals Index OnlineIndex of major journals in the humanities and social sciences, from as far back as 1660 up to the present.
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LGBTQ+ SourceLeading full-text database for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender literature and research material including periodicals, books, journals, and publications.
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Newspaper Source PlusFull-text newspapers and newswires, as well as TV/radio transcripts.
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ProQuest British Parliamentary Papers Collection, 18th-21st CenturiesA vast and authoritative archive of official government documents spanning three centuries of British history.
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National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): U.S. Newspaper ProgramA vast listing of NEH-funded initiatives to digitize newspapers published in the U.S. from the 18th century to the present.
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Newspaper Research in the UB LibrariesA guide to performing historical research with newspapers at UB.
Local Collections
- The Buffalo History Museum
- Buffalo and Erie County Public Library
- Robert L, Brown History of Medicine Collection (UB)
- Special Collections (UB)
Librarian
Archival Material & Documents
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American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals CollectionA vast collection of American historical periodicals, 17th-20th century. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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Archive FinderA searchable listing of archives and document repositories located in the U.S., the U.K., and Ireland.
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ArchiveGridBrings together more than 5 million records describing archival content from more than 1,000 archives across the globe.
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ArchivesCanada.ca Search PortalOfficial archival search portal of the Canadian Council of Archives, providing online access to more than 800 archives across Canada.
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Archives of Sexuality & Gender, Parts 1-2Primary source documents on important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of the twentieth century. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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ArchivesWiki - American Historical AssociationA clearinghouse of information about archival resources throughout the world.
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Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training: Oral History CollectionThe world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral history.
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China from Empire to Republic: Missionary, Sinology and Literary Periodicals 1817-1949English-language periodicals published in or about China during a period of over 130 years. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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China from Empire to Republic: Records of the Maritime Customs Service of China (1854-1949)Primary source documents for the study of China and its relations with the West in the late Qing and Republican periods. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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Digital Collections - University at Buffalo LibrariesPrimary sources, documents, and media relevant to historical research in multiple unique collections.
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Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and CanadaA listing of companies in the U.S. and Canada that maintain archives and records pertaining to their activities.
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Finding Aids at the University at Buffalo LibrariesGuides to archival records, personal papers, and manuscripts in UB's Special Collections unit.
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Digital Public Library of AmericaA vast trove of primary source material from libraries, archives, and museums around the U.S. and related to every country and era.
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Early English Books OnlineMore than 22 million page images from every work printed during the era 1473-1700 in English in Great Britain, and in any language in Britain's dependencies.
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Eighteenth Century Collections OnlineDigital archive of books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides etc. from Great Britain in the 18th century and other locations, primarily but not exclusively in English.
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European Views of the Americas, 1493-1750Contemporary books and journal articles from the period of European exploration of North America.
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EuropeanaBooks, images, audio, and video from European libraries, archives, and museums.
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Gale Primary SourcesPrimary source material from five centuries of modern world history.
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GenderWatchPrimary and secondary full-text and archival material, from 1970 to the present, on all issues related to sexuality, religion, societal roles, feminism, masculinity, eating disorders, day care, and the workplace.
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HathiTrust Digital LibraryA vast digital repository of books derived from the collections of leading research libraries.
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The Internet Archive: Wayback MachineAn archive of the Internet itself since 1996, including almost 280 billion web pages.
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JSTORAlongside contemporary scholarly books and journals, JSTOR's collections contain historical material appropriate for use as primary sources.
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Library of Congress: Portals to State HistoryA listing of archives, collections, and initiatives devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage in the individual states of the U.S.
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Museums USA: Museum DirectoryA listing of museums in the U.S., arranged by state and type.
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19th Century Collections Online 7: Science, Technology, and MedicinePrimary source materials from the long nineteenth century revealing the rapid acceleration of scientific, technical, and medical knowledge and covering every aspect of science. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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19th Century Collections Online 8: WomenPrimary source documents focused on issues at the intersection of gender and class from the late-eighteenth to the early twentieth century, all through a transnational perspective.
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Past MastersComplete online texts of important works in philosophy and theology from medieval and modern Europe and the U.S.
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PreservationDirectory.comThe premier online resource for historic preservation, building restoration, and cultural resource management in the U.S. & Canada.
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ProQuest History VaultMillions of primary source, cross-searchable, full-text/full-image documents on the most widely studied topics in 19th and 20th-century American history.
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Slavery and Anti-Slavery, Parts 1-4Primary source documents on all aspects of the phenomenon of slavery and its abolition in the US, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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U.S. Declassified Documents OnlinePreviously classified federal records spanning the 20th and 21st centuries in the most comprehensive compilation of such documents from the executive branch. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
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Women Working, 1800-1930Primary source material related to women's roles in the U.S. economy in the 19th and early 20th century.
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Women’s Issues and IdentitiesPrimary source documents from the 19th and 20th centuries covering the social, political, and professional aspects of women’s lives and spanning multiple regions. More InfoFull-TextUB ONLY
Focus on America and Europe
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ACRL European Studies Section: Research GuidesEuropean Studies Research Guides (LibGuides) are curated by ACRL ESS members and offer freely available scholarly resources related to European regions and topics.
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The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and DiplomacyThe Avalon Project will mount digital documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government.
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Bibliothèque Nationale de France: GallicaA portal to the vast collections of digitized, primary-source books and documents at the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library of France).
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The British Library: Digital CollectionsGateway to more than 100 digital collections in every subject area at the British Library.
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Library of Congress: American Memory ProjectAmerican Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity.
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Library of Congress: Chronicling AmericaChronicling America is a website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
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EuroDocs: Online Sources for European HistoryA portal to a vast number of digital collections in European history, organized by country or broad subject area.
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European History Primary SourcesA searchable index of scholarly digital repositories containing primary sources for the history of Europe, including the major national digital libraries and many smaller digitization projects in Europe.
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Europeana Newspapers (EN)EN makes historic newspaper pages searchable via two prominent cultural heritage websites: Europeana and The European Library. It aggregates 18 million historic newspaper pages, including 10 million newspaper pages in full text, and uses a special content viewer to improve online newspaper browsing.
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National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): 100 Milestone Documents in American HistoryOne hundred milestone documents in American history reaching from 1776 to 1965.
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National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): The Digital Vault on DocsTeachAccess thousands of primary sources covering a wide variety of historical topics at the National Archives, or borrow from an ever-expanding collection of document-based activities built by the National Archives education staff and teachers around the country.
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University of Michigan: Making of AmericaA digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. Particularly strong in education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. Circa 10,000 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.
Audio & Video
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AVON - Academic Video OnlineStreaming video in a wide range of subjects and genres. More InfoStreaming MediaUB ONLY
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DRAM (Database of Recorded American Music)Streaming audio recordings of American music, along with liner notes and essays.
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Kanopy Streaming ServiceHundreds of feature-length documentaries and feature films, including generous selections from the library of international and arthouse films offered by the Criterion Collection.
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NAXOS Music LibraryOnline streamable recordings of classical, jazz, world and folk music, with liner notes and other supplementary materials.
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OntheBoards.tvProvides video-on-demand access to works of dance, theatre, music and other performative art forms.
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Rock's BackpagesThe world's biggest archive of music journalism and pop writing of the last 60 years.
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Swank Digital CampusStreaming dozens of mass-market Hollywood films of interest to students, instructors, and researchers.