Library Homepage: Finding &amp; Using Primary Sources: Primary Source Databases

Primary Sources Collections - Electronic Databases

In addition to primary source material found in books within the library, we also have access to an amazing variety of primary source material through the following online sources:

American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Firsthand descriptions of historical characters and events, glimpses of daily life in the army, anecdotes about key events and personages, accounts of sufferings at home, a rich battles database, and others
American Memory Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience
Artstor (images, photos, etc.) This link opens in a new window
The ARTstor Digital Library provides more than one million images with tools for teaching and research. Its collections comprise contributions from outstanding museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, and artists and artists' estates from all over the world ( read the full list here ). The collections encompass a wide variety of subject areas, including art, architecture, music, religion, anthropology, literature, world history, American Studies, Asian Studies, Classical Studies, Medieval Studies, Renaissance Studies, and more (find sample subject guides here ).
Berea Digital Archives This link opens in a new window
Explore our digital collections documenting Berea College and the Southern Appalachian Region.
Digital Library of Appalachia This link opens in a new window
The Digital Library of Appalachia provides online access to archival and historical materials related to the culture of the southern and central Appalachian region. The contents of the DLA are drawn from special collections of Appalachian College Association member libraries.
Early American Imprints, Series 1: Evans, 1639-1800 This link opens in a new window
Searchable monographs, pamphlets, broadsides, government documents and ephemera enable researchers to explore America's distant and not so distant past. Available here: Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800.
Early Encounters in North America This link opens in a new window
This collection documents the relationships among peoples in North America from 1534 to 1850 focusing on personal accounts, and provides unique perspectives from traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, native peoples, and officials, both men and women. It also includes nearly 1,000 prints, drawings, paintings, maps, bibliographies, letters, photographs, and original facsimile pages. (from Alexander Street Press website)
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 This link opens in a new window
This new bibliographic database is a valuable index for libraries, scholars and individuals interested in European works that relate to the Americas. EBSCO Publishing, in cooperation with the John Carter Brown Library, has created this resource from “European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed In Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750,” the authoritative bibliography that is well-known and respected by scholars worldwide. The database contains more than 32,000 entries and is a comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.
Kentucky Digital Library This link opens in a new window
The Kentuckiana Digital Library is your gateway to rare and unique digitized collections housed in Kentucky archives. These digital collections are built to enhance scholarship, research and lifelong learning. Search over 550,000 digital images including historic newspapers, photographs, rare Kentuckiana imprints, Sanborn maps, and historic issues of the Daily Racing Form.
Mountain People: Life & Culture of Appalachia (1700-1950) This link opens in a new window
This collection consists of the diaries, journals, and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans, and travelers. In addition, there are accounts on the development of farming and mining communities, family histories, and folklore. Timeframe: 1700 - 1950 (website)
New York Times (1851-2013) This link opens in a new window
The New York Times is considered the United States newspaper of record for the late 19th and the 20th century. Historical advertisements and images are also included in this database. The New York Times (1851-2010) offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online Archive 1: British Politics and Society This link opens in a new window
"Including papers of British statesmen, Home Office records, ordnance surveys, working class autobiographies, and other unique collections, British Politics and Society is a remarkable resource for scholars looking to explore the political and social history of Britain. Source libraries are the British Library, Oxford University, and The National Archives, Kew. British Politics and Society enables researchers to explore such topics as British domestic and foreign policy, trade unions, Chartism, utopian socialism, public protest, radical movements, the cartographic record, political reform, education, family relationships, religion, leisure and many others. With this archive scholars have instant access to a range of never-before-available primary sources, including manuscripts, maps, drawings, newspapers, periodicals, government correspondence, letters, diaries, photographs, poster, pamphlets and more." (publisher's webiste)
Nineteenth Century Collections Online Archive 2: Asia & West: Diplomacy & Cultural Exchange This link opens in a new window
"Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange features primary source collections related to international relations between Asian countries and the West during the 19th century. These invaluable documents--many never before available--include government reports, diplomatic correspondences, periodicals, newspapers, treaties, trade agreements, NGO papers, and more. Documents are sourced from the National Archives, Kew; The National Archives, United States; and other collections. This unmatched resource allows scholars to explore in great detail the history of British and U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy; Asian political, economic, and social affairs; the Philippine Insurrection; the Opium Wars; the Boxer Rebellion; missionary activity in Asia; and many other topics. Asia and the West also includes personal letters and diaries, offering first-hand accounts and revealing the human side of international politics, as well as nautical charts, maps, shipping ledgers, company records, and expedition and survey reports for more than a century of world history." (publisher's website)
Nineteenth Century Collections Online Archive 3: British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture This link opens in a new window
"British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture features a wide range of primary sources related to the arts in the long nineteenth century, from playbills and scripts to operas and complete scores. These rare documents, many of them never before available, are sourced from the British Library and other institutions. Curation is by experts in British arts history. Covering more than a century, and encompassing both the Georgian and Victorian theatre, British Theatre, Music, and Literature is without equal as a resource. The collection provides a detailed look at the state of the British art world and includes manuscripts and musical compositions as well as documents such as personal letters, annotated programs, meeting minutes, and financial records. It offers scholars an unmatched glimpse into the inner workings of the world of the arts in Britain." (publisher's website)
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Drawn from more than 1,000 sources, this collection of writings contains 1,500 American and Canadian women’s diaries and correspondence. Spanning more than 300 years , the 150,000 pages of materials provide a detailed record of what women wore, what they ate, what they read, the conditions under which they worked, and how they amused themselves. We can explore their relationships with lovers and with family and friends. from Alexander Street Press website)
Slavery, Abolition & Social Justice This link opens in a new window
This resource is designed as an important portal for slavery and abolition studies, bringing together documents and collections covering an extensive time period 1490-2007, from libraries and archives across the Atlantic world. Close attention is being given to the varieties of slavery, the legacy of slavery, the social justice perspective and the continued existence of slavery today. (publisher's website)
Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista is an online statistics portal that provides access to data from market and opinion research institutions, as well as from business organizations and government institutions, such as the World Bank, the US Census Bureau, the Pew Research Center, and the IMF. Statista offers statistics and survey results in the form of bar charts and tables and includes, for example, data on advertising, consumer behavior, separate business fields, and governmental data. These are divided over some 20 industry categories such as advertising, chemicals, energy, consumer goods, eCommerce, banking, and transportation.