Using the UW Libraries Catalog to Find Primary Sources

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of published primary sources dealing with American and British history. Primary sources for other regions and time periods are also available (though often in the original language). These include books written during the period for your topic (i.e., during the Russian Revolution), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprints of collections of primary source material. Most books are printed but some are microfilmed.

      Searching the UW Libraries Catalog for Primary Sources

Use the following strategies in the UW Libraries Catalog to find books that can be considered primary sources:

• Search for books written by key participants and organizations.
• Do a keywords search and limit your search by publication date.
• Do a keywords search for your subject and add special terms that designate primary sources:

  sources personal narratives diaries correspondence interviews church records and registers early works to 1800 wills probate records sermons

  Examples:     crusades and sources     women and suffrage and correspondence     yorkshire and (probate records or wills)     civil war and (diaries or personal narratives)     etiquette and early works to 1800     civil rights and interviews

• Do a keywords search for items in major microfilm sets of early books:

  German Baroque Literature History of Women French books before 1601 Early English Books* Eighteenth Century reel** Landmarks of Science Early American Imprints

  Examples:     utopias and german baroque literature     history of women and birth control     french books before 1601 and canada     eighteenth century reel and treason     landmarks of science and origin and life     early american imprints and kickapoo indians

*also search for items in this collection through Early English Books Online and the English short title catalogue (ESTC)
**add the word reel so that the catalog finds just those items in the microfilmed set rather than any citation with the phrase "eighteenth century"

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Last modified: Friday October 18 2002