Identifying Sources of Information

Consider:

• How your topic would be documented. What kinds of sources are likely to contain relevant information: letters, diaries, founding documents, newspapers, reports, etc.
• Who or what would have produced or generated information about your topic: Individuals, groups, committees, clubs, corporations, government agencies, etc.
• Connections: Who was involved? Were they affiliated with a group, organization, religious order, academic institution that has archives?

Keep in mind that relevant sources may not be in a single collection.

• Some archives specialize in certain types of collections –labor-related, Chicago literary figures, etc.
• Special collections hold manuscripts, documents, rare books, other formats covering a wide range of eras and topics.
• State or local historical societies usually collect papers and official records that reflect the geographic location.
• University archives focus on people and activities that are directly connected to the institution.
• Check bibliographies in publications - look for “archival sources”, “unpublished sources,” etc.
• Ask about other repositories or resources the archivist may know about.

Online Databases & Sources for Archival Research

• Library of Congress Finding Aids  http://findingaids.loc.gov/
• National Archives:  http://aad.archives.gov/aad/

Essential Databases

• ArchiveGrid https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/ (100s of repositories; mixed formats; related searches; faceting)

• WorldCat (collection-level records): go to Advanced Search, choose Archival Materials from format options (access through NU Library’s electronic databases for best results) http://libguides.northwestern.edu/az.php?a=a&q=worldcat

A few examples of collections or portals focusing on regions, countries, or fields of research

• NU Libraries’ Manuscripts and Archival Collections Portal http://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/

• Explore Chicago Collections http://explore.chicagocollections.org/ (Local Chicago-related collections) 
• Guide to Local (Illinois) archives https://www.ilsos.gov/archivalrepositories/search
• History of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/consortium/  
• Social Welfare Archives https://www.lib.umn.edu/swha/ (thematic collection at U of Minnesota)
• Online Archive of California http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ (large consortium of CA. repositories)
• Archives Hub https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/ (hundreds of sources in colleges/universities in the UK)

Images

• NU Library’s Digital Repository https://dc.library.northwestern.edu/
• Artstor (subscription database, through NU Library’s Databases): over 1.6m images in arts, humanities, sciences http://libguides.northwestern.edu/az.php?a=a&q=artstor
• Library of Congress Digital Collections https://www.loc.gov/collections/ 
• Remember to ask repositories about photos when you’re researching its textual collections

Some Historic Newspapers and Periodicals

• Guide to historical newspapers http://libguides.northwestern.edu/c.php?g=114758&p=747478
• WorldCat (many available on microfilm http://libguides.northwestern.edu/az.php?a=a&q=worldcat go to Advanced Search, choose Serials from format options

Other Sites of Interest

• Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research http://www2.archivists.org/usingarchives
• Getty Research Vocabulary Thesauri http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/index.html

A good place to start is with the Northwestern University Subject Librarians  and the Research Guides for specific departments and areas of study.

To see a list of the digital primary source databases available through NU Libraries, go to the  A-Z Databases page and limit the database type to "Digitized Primary Sources." Then filter by your subject of interest in the top left drop-down box.

Some examples:

Wiley Digital Archives

Gale Archives of Sexuality and Gender

Gale Archives of Political Extremism and Radicalism

The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives 1960–1974 from Alexander Street

• Daily Northwestern archive: access via NUsearch with netID; if outside Northwestern, sign up for an Our Northwestern account

• Digitized Northwestern Publications

• Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian

• Siege and Commune of Paris (available via Archive-it.org)

• William Hogarth and 18th-Century Print Culture

• Audio + Video repository houses the Libraries' archival and course reserve AV material, including the Wildcats Football Films and other digitized videos from Northwestern's history.

• Digital Collections contains the Libraries' digital image collections of primary sources from our distinctive collections. A Northwestern NetID may be required to access some material.

• Northwestern University Web Archive: documents and preserves Northwestern websites of unique and enduring value.

• HathiTrust is a collaborative repository containing digitized items within the public domain. Find Northwestern's Alumni Publication from 1903-1987 here.

Black Metropolis Research Consortium

Independent Voices Open Access Alternative Press

Smithsonian Open Access