About Published Primary Sources
Published primary sources are firsthand materials that have been reproduced in books or digital collections.
These sources may include diaries, letters, speeches, government documents, and other historical texts that were originally created during the period being studied.
Using published primary sources allows you to engage directly with historical evidence, even when the original documents are held in distant archives.
Find Published Primary Sources in Esearch - Option 1
- Go to the EMU Library homepage, and type your search terms into the Esearch box.
- Hit Enter or click on the magnifying glass icon.
- In the left-hand column of the results screen, find Content Type.
- Click the option for Primary Sources.
- Your results list will display items the Esearch identified as primary sources.
Find Published Primary Sources in Esearch - Option 2
- Go to the Advanced Search screen in Esearch (opens in a new window) .
- In the first search box, type one or more words or phrases that describe your topic.
- In another search row, change the drop-down menu from Any Field to Subject.
- In the Subject search box, enter one of the following terms:
archival resourcesbiographycorrespondencediariesearly works to 1800facsimilesinterviewslettersmanuscriptsmemoirsnarrativesnotebooksoratorypamphletssketchbookssourcesspeechestreaties
- (Optional) To limit results to books only, use the Material Type drop-down menu and select Books.
- Click the Search button.
Find Published Primary Sources - Other Online Catalogs
If you’re looking for published primary sources that aren’t available through the EMU Library, try searching one of the catalogs below.
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Google BooksProvides access to millions of digitized books. Most titles not in the public domain offer only limited preview sections.
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HathiTrust Digital LibraryA collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
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Internet ArchiveContains over 20 million digitized books and other materials. A free account is required to borrow items.
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Making of America (University of Michigan)A full-text digital library of nineteenth-century American social history, featuring about 10,000 books and a substantial run of journals in fields such as education, history, sociology, religion, psychology, and science and technology.
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MelCatSearch the catalogs of academic and public libraries across Michigan.
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Project GutenbergAn online library of free ebooks, many in the public domain.