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General Starting Sources
- America's Historical Newspapers (1960-1993)Full-text of U.S. newspapers. Comprised of two databases: Early American Newspapers Series 1 - 3 and 20th-Century American Newspapers Series 1 - 3. Covers 1960-1993.
- Chronicling America (1836-1922)Historical U. S. newspapers digitized under the auspices of the Library of Congress. UT Libraries are part of this cooperative venture and have added selected Tennessee newspapers.
- Gale Primary Sources
Cross-search and explore history through all available Gale Primary Sources databases focusing on American and British history. Browse and filter by date, content type, and more. A great place to begin your research!
- Nexis UniProvides content from US and international magazines, journals, newspapers, television and radio broadcasts dating back mostly from the 1990s with some content from the 1970s. Also includes legal research sources and business information for US and international companies. Majority of sources in this database are more contemporary so more historic topics will probably not be found here.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers (1764-2004)A collection of selected U.S. newspapers. Dates vary, but most titles date back to the 1800s.
Magazines via Google Books. In particular, you may be interested in:
- Billboard Magazine (1942-2010/11)
- Magazine covering popular culture in relation to the music industry. Issues of the magazine may contain reviews of music as well as popular opinion concerning musical artists of the time. This may be a good resource for students interested in researching Vietnam protest music
- JET Magazine (1951-2008/9)
- Magazine with the specific audience of African Americans covering topics of political and entertainment news. This may be a good resource for students researching topics in relation to Civil Rights in the 1960’s.
- LIFE Magazine (1936-1972)
- Magazine covering various current events contemporary to the time. The magazine has a photography focus, and because of this, the resource would be an excellent choice for students wishing to find image based primary sources.
- American Periodicals (1740-1920)Full-text of periodicals including popular and scholarly titles, children's magazines, and trade journals. This resource could be used to find primary sources on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, American social norms and historic sciences.
- Vogue Archives (1892-present)Magazine covering the topic of fashion and lifestyle. This magazine focuses on celebrities and their lifestyle, and it would be a good resource for students interested in finding primary sources on the lives of famous individuals.
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive
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An archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to the 21st century. The core US and UK trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting and theater are included, together with film fan magazines and music press titles.
Best Bets
- ARTstor
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With more than 2 million images* (and growing), Artstor is a cross-disciplinary collection of rights-cleared images from around the world.
*Note: The number of images available varies by country due to copyright restrictions.
- Associated Press Images Collection
Contemporary and historical images from the Associated Press.
- Prints & Photographs Online (Library of Congress)Photographs, fine and popular prints, posters, and architectural and engineering drawings. Primarily American focus, but does include some international materials.
- LIFE PicturesThe LIFE Picture Collection documents events in politics, culture, celebrities, the arts and the American experience in the 20th Century.
Additional Resources
- Ad*AccessU.S. and Canadian advertisements between 1911 and 1955. Five primary areas of focus - Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II.
- London Low Life: Street Culture, Social Reform, and the Victorian UnderworldContains color digital images of rare books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 19th and early 20th century London. Also includes secondary sources such as maps and essays.
- National Portrait GalleryThe Smithsonian’s collection of over 15,000 works featuring scientists, statesmen, film stars, and more. Ranges from 19th daguerreotypes to recent video.
- New York Public Library Digital CollectionsLarge collection of digital images with a broad scope. Includes photographs, manuscripts, fashion, maps, book art and illustration, posters and more. Updated often. Particularly interesting selection of Public Domain materials and collection of theatre photography.
- The Public Domain ReviewCollection of images exploring the “curious and compelling works from the history of art, literature, and ideas”. Hard to summarize, but worth searching for niche or obscure topics, inventions, artists, and oddities.
- Science & Society Picture Library (UK)The official picture library for the visual collections of the Science Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, the Science and Media Museum, the Railway Museum and Locomotion.
Collections of items recorded from television, including commercials, old television shows, government proceedings, and more.
Access to thousands of streaming videos, including collections and titles from PBS, BBC, Criterion Collection, Media Education Foundation and more.
A large streaming video and audio collection from Alexander Street Press. Includes documentaries, films, interviews, music, news programs, and performances.
From the most important productions of Shakespeare to rare in-depth footage focusing on the work of Samuel Beckett, Theatre in Video, when complete, will offer more than 500 hours of online streaming video, available electronically for the first time.
A collection of popular contemporary movies available on campus.
Contains silent feature films, serials, and shorts from the 1890s to the 1930s that represent the foundation of modern cinematic technique and film theory.
Contain 250 of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries.
- UT Libraries Digital CollectionsUT Libraries' Digital Collections contain digitized resources relevant to UT and Tennessee history. Many of these materials are unique to UT and cannot be found elsewhere.
- Digital Teaching CollectionsThe Digital Teaching Collections Research Guide identifies digital Special Collections materials for English 102 students. Primary source materials are organized by broad subject areas that cover most topics of inquiry.
For a complete list of all primary source databases available to you through the library, click HERE.
When searching for primary sources, it's crucial to recognize that the names of things, events, people, and places have evolved over time. For instance, in a project about the history of mental healthcare, contemporary terms like "outpatient centers" or "psychiatric hospitals" may not have been used in the past. It's essential to uncover the terminology used during the specific time period you are examining. Terms that are now considered outdated or offensive, such as "asylum" or "madhouse," might yield more relevant results for your research.
Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias or reference materials may give suggestions about this alternative terminology.
Authoritative citation guide covering MLA, APA, and Chicago Style. The guide offers a good array of examples for citing materials in a variety of formats.
Specialized guide from the Library of Congress providing in depth examples of citations for the MLA citation format.
General guide created by UT libraries to assist students in finding resources to perfect their citations.
- Judith Anderson Herbert Writing CenterThe Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center serves student writers in all disciplines of the UT academic community by offering free and individualized help throughout the writing process. Trained tutors read student writing and provide feedback in one-to-one conversations. Their goal is to help students think about and improve their written work from the brainstorming stage to final revisions. If it’s writing, they can help!
Contains an organized listing of newspaper database within UT library subscriptions. Contains both historic and contemporary first hand accounts of events. When selecting a database, try to go by the dates related to the event in question.
Research guides offered for UT's Special Collections. Offers resources focused primarily on the history of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Appalachia, and its surrounding communities. The special collections would be an excellent resource for students who want physical access to primary source materials, as the special collections are available for physical viewing on the first floor of Hodges Library.
This guide will help students find primary and secondary sources for English 101, 102, 118, 198, 298 assignments.
If you have questions or comments about this guide, contact Erin Whitaker.