Lara Nicosia is the liaison librarian for History and she is always happy to help!
Finding Primary Sources
For historical research, the phrase "primary sources" refers to items that were created at the time an event occurred usually by direct observers or participants. Primary sources are not limited to traditional text-based documents such as newspaper articles and journal entries; photographs, posters, audio recordings, video clips, books, and more can all serve as primary sources if they are used as evidence of the time in which they were created. It's not about the source type...it's about how the source is used for your research.
This database contains over 700,000 previously classified federal records spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It includes government reports and actions on past pandemics, public health crises, etc. from throughout the 20th century.
It covers major international events, including the Cold War to the Vietnam War and beyond. It is also a source of information about US post- World War II domestic policy and international relations.
This curated collection in HeinOnline pulls together documents to help researchers understand "ways the federal government has responded to medical disasters of the past and how these previous pandemics inform today’s response." It includes over 500 documents from 1801-present and is browsable by date, subject, title, and author.
This database contains a robust collection of historical newspapers from the mid-1800s to the early 2000s. It includes major newspaper publications (e.g., New York Times, Washington Post) as well as titles of more local interest. Notably, this database includes access to ProQuest's Black Newspapers database which includes news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. It also includes access to the Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester's newspaper of record.
Atlanta Constitution (1868 - 1984) Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003) Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988) Baltimore Sun (1837-1992) Boston Globe (1872 - 1985) Chicago Defender (1909-1975) Chicago Tribune (1849 - 1993) Christian Science Monitor (1908 - 2004) Globe and Mail (1844-2014) Irish Times (1859 - 2016) Louisville Courier (1830 - 2000) Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1993) Minneapolis Tribune (1867 - 2001) New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993) New York Times (1851 - 2013) U.S, Northeast Collection (1785 - 2010) Some issues for 1953, 1962-1963, 1965, 1978 were never published due to pressman's strikes. No Sunday issue was published until April 21, 1861. New York Tribune (1841-1962) Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002) South China Morning Post (1903-1998) Times of India (1838-2008) Wall Street Journal (1889 - 2000) Washington Post (1877 - 2000)
Search across all of our available Readex primary source collections, including African Newspapers, Latin American Newspapers, Archive of Americana, America's Historical Imprints, America's Historical Newspapers, and Caribbean Newspapers.
The Gale Primary Sources cross-search interface provides access to millions of pages of content spanning many centuries and geographic regions. Users can explore a wide range of content including monographs, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, maps, and more.
Finding Obituaries
River Campus Libraries provides access to a large selection of historical obituaries through a variety of databases. Try searching for one of the following words or phrases in the title field of a database to find obituaries in its collection:
This database includes historical newspapers from colonial times to the 1920s from throughout the colonies and United States making it a great source for 19th obituaries.
This collection of resources from the American Antiquarian Society includes obituaries published in a variety of periodicals from 1755-1918. Tip: Select "Obituary" as a "Document Type" on the Advanced Search screen
This collection of newspapers includes titles from the United States from throughout the 18th and 19th century including a robust collection of African American Newspapers.
Includes The Liberator, Godey’s Lady’s Book, Frederick Douglass’ newspapers, and many others.
This database contains a robust collection of historical newspapers from the mid-1800s to the early 2000s. It includes major newspaper publications (e.g., New York Times, Washington Post) as well as titles of more local interest. Notably, this database includes access to ProQuest's Black Newspapers database which includes news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. Tip: Select "Obituary" as a "Document Type" on the Advanced Search screen
Atlanta Constitution (1868 - 1984) Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003) Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988) Baltimore Sun (1837-1992) Boston Globe (1872 - 1985) Chicago Defender (1909-1975) Chicago Tribune (1849 - 1993) Christian Science Monitor (1908 - 2004) Globe and Mail (1844-2014) Irish Times (1859 - 2016) Louisville Courier (1830 - 2000) Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1993) Minneapolis Tribune (1867 - 2001) New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993) New York Times (1851 - 2013) U.S, Northeast Collection (1785 - 2010) Some issues for 1953, 1962-1963, 1965, 1978 were never published due to pressman's strikes. No Sunday issue was published until April 21, 1861. New York Tribune (1841-1962) Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002) South China Morning Post (1903-1998) Times of India (1838-2008) Wall Street Journal (1889 - 2000) Washington Post (1877 - 2000)
The New York Times is considered a newspaper of record for the United States. Because of its vast readership, the New York Times includes obituaries for many prominent individuals from throughout history. Tip: Select "Obituary" as a "Document Type" on the Advanced Search screen
Includes international, national and New York regional news, in addition to business, science, medicine, arts, sports and lifestyle news. Some issues for 1953, 1962-1963, 1965, 1978 were never published due to pressman's strikes. No Sunday issue was published until April 21, 1861.
This database includes an assortment of 19th Century newspapers from across the United States. Tip: Select "Obituary" as a "Document Type" on the Advanced Search screen
With digital facsimile images of both full pages and clipped articles for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers and advanced searching capabilities, researchers will be able to research history in ways previously unavailable. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration. No overlap with America’s Historical Newspapers.
This collection of 19th and 20th century Hispanic American newspapers features hundreds of titles including many long scattered and forgotten titles published in the 19th century.
