Fourth Form Paper
By Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian February 2nd, 2009
Reference Books
Several book sets in the Ohrstrom Library Reference Room contain, or are solely comprised of, primary resources. The list below identifies several reference books that are recommended for students seeking primary resources.
100 Key Documents in American History: REF 973 L57
The Annals of America: REF 973 An7
Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America: REF 305.8 B34
Documents of American History: REF 973 C73D
Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: REF 970.5 D38
Encyclopedia of American Historical Documents: REF 973 R72
Encyclopedia of War Reporting: REF 973 C79
Historical Statistics of the United States: REF 317 Un3H
Indian Treaties: REF 970.5 K14
Major Peace Treaties of Modern History: REF 341.2 Is7
Milestone Documents in American History: REF 973 F495M
(Also available as part of the Salem History online database accessible through the Ohrstrom Library website HERE.)
You may also wish to consult reference materials containing chronologies. While typically not primary sources themselves, these books may be helpful in locating a topic. Examples include:
The African American Almanac: REF 305.896
America in the 20th Century: REF 973.9 AM3
Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th Century America: REF 973.9 P37
The Columbia Chronicles of American Life: 1910-1992: REF 973.9 G65
Day by Day: The Forties (& 50’s, 60’s, 70’s etc.): REF 909.82 D33
Nature & the Environment in 20th Cent. Amer. Life: REF 304.2 B56N20
Timelines on file. The 20th century: REF 902 D54
Finding Additional Books in the Library
You can locate primary sources published in book form by using the following terms as subject searches in Ohrstrom’s online catalog. Or, conduct a keyword search using one term below combined with your topic (i.e. Correspondence, Roosevelt; or Sources, Civil Rights).
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Interviews
- Personal narratives
- Speeches
- Sources
Frequently primary sources are embedded within books considered secondary sources. For example a book about President Truman may contain the text of a speech, letter and/or diary entry.
Locating Periodical Articles
- The lower level periodicals room contains deep back runs (early 1900s forward) of several magazines including: The Atlantic Monthly, Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, and a few more. These can be enjoyable to browse through and might assist you in finding a topic. Use the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature to locate topic specific articles published in 20th century periodicals. Material type: Magazines.
- Also worth considering is the Google Magazine search available via Google books. Simply visit http://books.google.com and select the “advanced book search” option and then select the “magazines” radio button. For a full list of available titles click HERE. Material type: Magazines.
- The Historical Newspapers: 1851-2004 database is available through the Library’s website by clicking HERE. It contains a timeline with each timeline topic linking directly to related newspaper articles. (Primary sources!) To use this resource select the “Timeline” tab located near the top of the page. The topics tab provides the same information, just in a slightly different visual layout. Material type: Newspapers.
- The American History in Video database is available through the Library’s website by clicking HERE. It contains news footage, documentaries and some political commercials. Search by historical era, topic or even year created, and then watch the video online. Material type: Videos.
Search tip: Select the browse by years link to locate video created in any given year.
- Would your topic have been reported in a scholarly journal? The JSTOR database is available through the Library’s website by clicking HERE. JSTOR features a collection of 750+ journals, most dating from the 1800s forward. (Note, be sure to watch the date. A recent article on your topic represents current research, not likely a primary source.) Material type: Scholarly Journals.
- CQ Researcher provides thousands of non-biased reports and analysis (often about 20 pages in length) focusing on political and social issues. Coverage begins in 1923. CQ Researcher is available through the Library website by clicking HERE. Material type: Reports.
Search tip: Use the “browse by date” feature located in the top left-hand corner of the main page. This feature will allow you to locate reports by time period. You may find reports published outside of your designated period. Although these would be considered secondary sources, they may still be useful.
Search tip: Note the linked “Related Reports” listed on the right-hand side of most reports.
Free Web Sources to Consider
Many libraries and museums are digitizing their archives and making them available online. Ohrstrom Library has begun collecting these type of high quality sites and organizing them in a Del.icio.us account. Try using the Humanities4 and/or primary_sources tag(s) to locate material relevant to U.S. history.
Below are examples from the Ohrstrom Library Del.icio.us account.
Archives of American Art – Online Collections: From the Smithsonian. Visual images and papers of selected American artists.
American Memory Project – Available online via the Library of Congress: A digitized collections of primary sources taken from and organized by the Library of Congress. Browse by time period: select the “Browse” button located in the top-middle of the page, or browse by the designated time periods located on the left-hand side of the page.
Documenting the American South: From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. Includes oral histories, images and texts.
Hearth – Home Economics Archive: From Cornell University Libraries. Books and journals related to home economics.
Historical Census Browser: From the University of Virginia Libraries. U.S. Census data from 1870-1960.
Historical Documents from WWII: From Southern Methodist University Libraries. 343 documents produced be the U.S. Government Printing Office during World War II.
The Internet Archive: Text, images, video and audio (including live music). U.S. and international coverage.
Library of Congress Digital Collections: Prints, photographs, eyewitness accounts, U.S. newspapers and additional digital collections.
Open Video Project: From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. Contains videos (mostly from U.S. government agencies) created as early as 1940.
University of Washington Libraries Digital Collection: As of 2009, holds 90+ digital primary source collections related to U.S. history and often the Northwest, including American Indians of the Pacific Northwest the Milton Katims Audio Collection and the Cities and Buildings Database.
U. S. National Archives and Records Administration, Exhibit Hall: Founding U.S. documents, oral histories, artwork and material from various significant U.S. events.
Download a PDF version of this research guide by clicking HERE.
Fourth Form Paper Flowchart
Be sure to consult the Fourth Form Paper Flowchart by clicking below:
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