Finding Primary Sources

This guide is an aid for finding primary sources using Burke Library's general collection, its online resources, and interlibrary loan. For information about the college's manuscript collections, rare books, and institutional records, visit the library's collections page.
 

Books

Major book collections that have been reproduced in electronic form or on microfilm.

 

Document Collections

Collections of reproduced print or digital documents, usually related by topic or place of origin.

 

Images

Consult the library's guide to finding image and multimedia resources.

 

Magazines

Publications generally containing articles, stories, features, photographs, illustrations, and advertisements covering a variety of topics. Usually published on a weekly or monthly basis.

 

Newspapers

Publications generally containing reports on current events, editorials, features, photographs, and advertisements. Often give prominence to stories that have taken place in and around their place of publication. Usually published on a daily or weekly basis.

 

Personal Accounts

Firsthand accounts that focus on the authors' role in the events in which they participated. Includes autobiographies, diaries, correspondence, memoirs, and personal narratives.

 

Speeches

Text, audio, and video versions of speeches, sermons, lectures, and other public addresses.