What makes a source primary?
Primary sources are original documents and objects which were created at the time. Typical examples include letters, diaries, photos, newspaper articles, eyewitness accounts, autobiographies, government reports, paintings, maps, etc. In actuality, it can be more complicated and can depend on the topic/time period.
Always clarify with your professor.
Latin America: Digital Primary Source Collections
- Gale Primary SourcesLots of primary sources from all over the world, many time periods, many in English, but not all.
- Guide to Primary Sources for Latin AmericaThis guide provides description and links to selected digital collections focused on Latin America.
More Primary Sources
The following is a selected list of primary source databases that focus on American materials (books, newspapers, images, articles from earlier periods). For a more comprehensive listing, see the History: Primary Sources database page.
- ProQuest historical newspapersMajor North American and other national newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post from the 19th century until about 2010.
- Ethnic NewsWatchFull-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press from 1960.
- Hispanic American newspapers, 1808-1980Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries. (Also available within available within America's Historical Newspapers.)
- African American Newspapers OnlineUse this guide to find newspapers by and about the African American communities in the US.
- Latin American NewspapersHistorical Latin American newspapers, 1805- 1922. Countries include Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Venezuela.
- Archive of Contemporary MusicA not-for-profit music library dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing information about popular music from around the world.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaImages, texts, videos, and sounds from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States.
- NYPL Digital CollectionsDigital collection documenting the history of New York City, and more.
- Internet ArchiveOpen-access text/video archive. Lots of material now in the public domain published before 1926.
Music resources
- Music ResourcesLinks for additional primary and secondary sources.
Archives
The Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC) includes 400,000 printed volumes, more than 70 million manuscripts, and another million photographs, paintings, prints, and other visual media.
Kheel Archives - ILR Library
The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives is the unit of Catherwood Library that collects, preserves, and makes accessible special collections pertaining to the history of the workplace and labor relations. Materials consist of unique and rich primary sources, including printed and hand-written historical documents dating back to colonial times, historical photographs, rare pamphlets, audio recordings, film, and oral histories.