Clark Family Library: Thinking Historically: The 1970s: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event or person. They are created during the time that the event occurred or when that person lived. Examples: autobiographies, diaries, film or video footage, manuscripts, artifacts, oral histories, audio recordings, interviews, speeches, letters, lab reports, photographs, and any of the above reprinted in the original format and language.

There are various places where you can search for primary sources. One is in periodicals--just click on the "Periodicals" button on the left! Another is an archives. Many prominent archives have their collections digitized and readily available online for your use. Archives are usually part of an organization: a library; club; institution of higher education; government; museum; and so forth. By seeking out one of these organizations, or combining their name with "archives" in a web search, you will find their archives website. (A good example of how to do this is by placing "Smithsonian" and "archives" in your Google search bar. The first hit will be the Smithsonian Institution Archives!)

To get started:

American Presidency Project
The American Presidency Project, non-profit and non-partisan, is the source of presidential documents on the internet. We are hosted at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
139,692 Presidential and Non-Presidential Records
Archives | NYPL
Archives are the records created by people and organizations as they lived and worked. Collections can range in size from a single letter or diary to thousands of boxes of institutional records. They can contain drafts of literary works, financial records, meeting minutes, reports, memorabilia, as well as sound recordings, videos, film, databases, and software.
On this site, you can search The New York Public Library's vast holdings, initiate a research visit, submit a query to an archivist, and access digitized material.
Collections | Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution Library & Archives holds more than one million volumes and over six thousand archival collections documenting war, revolution, and peace in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Digital Collections | NYPL
Explore 901,680 items digitized from The New York Public Library's collections.
This site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
For Researchers | Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian has wealth of information to support researchers and learners of all types. Whatever the discipline may be, we have online resources and experts who are eager to share knowledge and collaborate. Our investigations unfold at research centers, field sites, and museums in the United States and around the globe.
Hathi Trust Digital Library
A partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
Research Our Records | National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.

Congressional Record | U.S. Congress
CRS Reports | U.S. Congress
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) serves as shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. CRS experts assist at every stage of the legislative process — from the early considerations that precede bill drafting, through committee hearings and floor debate, to the oversight of enacted laws and various agency activities.
Defense Technical Information Center
The Defense Technical Information Center has served the information needs of the Defense community for more than 70 years. DTIC reports to the Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering).
Federal Register
The Office of the Federal Register (OFR) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) jointly administer the FederalRegister.gov website. We developed this website to make it easier for citizens and communities to understand the regulatory process and to participate in Government decision-making.
Foreign Relations of the United States
The Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. Search within the volumes, or browse volume titles by administration.
GovInfo
GovInfo is a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), which is a Federal agency in the legislative branch. GovInfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
National Security Archive
Founded in 1985 by journalists and scholars to check rising government secrecy, the National Security Archive combines a unique range of functions: investigative journalism center, research institute on international affairs, library and archive of declassified U.S. documents ("the world's largest nongovernmental collection" according to the Los Angeles Times), leading non-profit user of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, public interest law firm defending and expanding public access to government information, global advocate of open government, and indexer and publisher of former secrets.
Presidential Libraries | National Archives
Presidential Libraries and Museums promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.
Records & Research | U.S. House of Representatives
The people and activities of the U.S. House of Representatives have inspired numerous publications and millions of pages of records that tell their stories. Browse resources to help conduct research on congressional records, the institution of the House, its committees, and its Speakers. Access bibliographies, lists of standard reference volumes, and finding aids for official House records to discover the history behind the House.
Reference Desk | U.S. Senate
The Vault | Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Vault is our new FOIA Library, containing 6,700 documents and other media that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office.

Welcome to Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 | Adam Matthews
Popular Culture explores the dynamic period of social, political and cultural change between 1950 and 1975. The resource offers thousands of colour images of manuscript and rare printed material as well as photographs, ephemera and memorabilia from this exciting period in our recent history. Explore our interactive chronology to learn a wealth of fascinating facts, take a tour of our visual resources, and watch video footage to experience the spectacular sights and sounds of the period for yourself.

Adam Matthew Explorer
Eight-eight primary source collections spanning the social sciences and humanities. This digital portfolio is arranged by theme and focuses on important topics such as: Borders and Migrations, Gender and Sexuality, Ethnic Studies, History, and War and Politics.
ArchiveGrid
A union catalog of archival collections, provides access to nearly a million collection descriptions and online archival finding aids of archival material from more than 2,500 libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives around the world. Good destination for searching through historical documents, personal papers, and family histories.
Gale Primary Sources
Comprehensive search of the Gale primary source databases: 17th-18th Century Burney Collection, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, County and Regional Histories & Atlases: Pennsylvania Digital Archive, Freedom Riders in the South, Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Punch Historical Archive, The Economist Historical Archive, The Illustrated London News Historical Archive, and Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive.
GPO Monthly Catalog
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Monthly Catalog provides citations of U.S. government publications. Covers all types of documents, including Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and judiciary materials. Database has 507,000 records from 1976 to present.