Finding primary sources at Princeton

Whether you are beginning a junior paper, a senior thesis, or a doctoral dissertation in history, the first challenge is to identify a cache of primary source material that addresses the issue, person, place, or period that interests you. For some general suggestions about how to get started, see Primary sources: a guide for history majors. And for advice on finding primary sources at other libraries and archives, see Finding primary sources in archives and libraries. This guide offers specific guidance about finding primary sources in the Princeton University Library system.

Table of contents

• I already have a specific research topic
  • Search for primary sources in the Main Catalog
• I have a general area of interest
  • Consult online guides to primary sources arranged by subject
  • Consider using original primary source collections at Princeton
  • Still need help? Consult the history librarian or another of the library's subject specialists.

If you can't find primary sources for your topic at Princeton, see Finding primary sources in archives and libraries for detailed guidance on locating unpublished material, and making the most of your time while visiting a library or archive elsewhere.

I already have a specific topic

Finding primary sources in the Main Catalog

• To find primary sources in the Main Catalog, use the Guided Search form to search for keywords or subject headings plus terms like:
  • sources
  • diaries
  • correspondence
  • personal narrative

  Note: for many topics, there are highly specific subject headings like:

  • France--History--Revolution, 1789-1799--Sources.
  • Ireland--History--Sources.
  • United States--Foreign relations--Cuba--Sources.
  • Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century--Sources.
• To find the papers of an individual, do an Author search, e.g. jackson, andrew
• To find the records of an organization or government body, do an Author search, e.g. United States. Dept. of State
• To find works published in a particular time and place, try limiting your search by date, language, or location (click on the orange "set limits" button on the search screen).

I have a general area of interest

• Primary sources for historical research: subject guides lists major print, digital and microform collections held at Princeton.
• Digital history: full text primary sources for historians lists digital collections frequently used by historians; others can be found at Articles & Databases: History. Note: most of these collections are available only to the Princeton University community.
• For microform collections, try browsing through the printed guides shelved in Microforms Services on C-floor (all these guides have call numbers that start "FilmB")

Special Collections at Princeton

The Princeton University Library contains incredible troves of primary sources, from original diaries and letters to posters and photographs to declassified government documents. Many are held by the Rare Books and Special Collections department, but others are part of the general collections in Firestone or elsewhere. For more information on Rare Books and Special Collections holdings, contact Reference Librarian Meg Rich; for more information on Mudd Manuscript Library holdings, contact University Archivist Dan Linke.

Some starting points:

• Master List of Special Collections (RBSC) (manuscript collections, by author)
• Guide to Selected Special Collections of Printed Books and Other Material (RBSC) (both published and manuscript collections, by topic)
• RBSC Catalogs, Databases and Finding Aids
• Public Policy Papers (Mudd)
• University Archives (Mudd)

Some of our other non-rare "special collections":

• Government Documents Collection (in the Firestone Social Science Center on A-floor; collects an enormous range of local, federal, and international documents)
• League of Nations Collection (in the Firestone Social Science Center on A-floor; a unique and impressive collection dating to the days when the League's Statistical Office was housed at Princeton)
• Near Eastern Collection (formerly a separate library, now housed in Firestone)
• East Asian Library (also known as Gest Library)