Primary Sources in the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections
The Archives and Special Collections Department houses a variety of primary source material in both published and unpublished formats.
Published materials, such as books, pamphlets, journals, and newpapers, can be found using the Library Catalog, as described above.
Unpublished materials include items such as letters, diaries, photographs, and artifacts. These items are not listed in the Library Catalog. The best way to find unpublished primary sources in the Archives and Special Collections is to contact a member of the staff in the department.
To see when the Archives is open, please visit their website.
You may contact the Archives at archives@dickinson.edu or at 245-1399.
- Central PA LGBT History ProjectThe LGBT Center of Central PA and the Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections have partnered to document the stories and history of LGBT life and activism in Central PA. Collections include oral histories, documents, images, and artifacts. Contact Archives & Special Collections for research assistance.
- Dickinson College Archives on Flickr This link opens in a new windowView selected photographs from Dickinson's special collections, including images of 1920s Alaska, the Carlisle Indian School, the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and late 19th-century Europe. Visit the Dickinson Archives to access the original photographs. Coverage: contains primary sources. Citations only.
- Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections This link opens in a new windowExplore a variety of archival materials (e.g. the Dickinsonian and Microcosm), college history projects, and subject-based digital projects including the Carlisle Indian School, the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project, and Slavery and Abolition in the United States. Coverage: varies, contains primary sources. Some full text.
- Dickinson College Photos This link opens in a new windowView selected images of Dickinson people, places, organizations, and events from the 19th and 20th centuries. Visit the Dickinson Archives to access original photographs. Coverage: 19th-20th centuries, contains primary sources. Citations only.
- Isaac Norris Collection This link opens in a new windowSearch books donated to Dickinson College by John and Mary Dickinson in 1784. This collection contains bibliographic information along with images of title pages. Visit the Dickinson Archives for access to the original books. Coverage: 1500-1759, contains primary sources. Citations only.
- James Buchanan Resource Center This link opens in a new windowExplore the life and times of James Buchanan, Dickinson class of 1809, including Buchanan's memoirs and unpublished correspondence, several biographies, cartoons, and engravings. This collection includes an extensive bibliography of writings by and about Buchanan and a comprehensive timeline of his life. It also contains information relevant to research on 19th-century politics, diplomacy, economics, and military activity, as well as slavery and the Civil War. Visit the Dickinson Archives for physical access to original materials. Some full text.
- Their Own Words This link opens in a new windowRead and search the full text of select books, pamphlets, diaries, and letters from Dickinson's Special Collections. Most of these items were authored by Dickinson alumni and faculty. Materials address colonial American politics; United States politics, government, and foreign relations; historical biography and autobiography; the American Civil War; the temperance movement; foreign travel; economics; medicine; philosophy; and theology. Visit the Dickinson Archives for access to original materials. Coverage: 1764-1918, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Women's Experiences at Dickinson Blog This link opens in a new windowExplore stories about all aspects of female students' experiences at Dickinson. This blog includes digital images of original documents and select sound clips from oral history interviews with alumnae. Visit the Dickinson Archives for access to original materials. Coverage: 1870-2010, contains primary sources. Citations only.
Primary Sources in Other Archives (Historical Societies, etc.)
There are a variety of online tools that you can use to find primary sources in archives beyond Dickinson College. These guides are useful as a starting point. It is always a good idea to contact an archivist about your research topic if you think they might have resources relevant to your topic. Archivists know their collections very well and can often point you to materials that would not be apparent from a database or internet search.
For a more comphrensive list consult the Primary Source Timeline tab on this guide.
- Access to Archival Databases This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Explore selected full-text records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the Federal government of the United States. Topics addressed include: politics, diplomacy, economics, labor, genealogy, social issues, and the military. These records date from 1800 to the present. Feel free to seek a librarian's assistance for advanced searches. Coverage: varies, contains primary sources. Full text. - Accessible Archives This link opens in a new windowAccess historical American newspapers, journals and books, including collections covering African-American newspapers, the Civil War, Native Americans in history, Women's Suffrage, World War I, Pennsylvania, and Quarantine and Disease Control in America. Coverage: mid 17th century through early 20th century - varies by collection, contains primary sources. Full text.
- African American Archives This link opens in a new windowExplore original historical documents pertaining to the history of African Americans, mostly in the United States, but also from the Colonial era and the West Indies. Coverage: contains primary sources. This purchase was a gift of Robert J. Weinstein, Dickinson College class of 1941.
- Library of Congress Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Access primary materials from the Library of Congress, covering various periods of American history. This collection includes photographs, manuscripts, rare books, maps, recorded sound, and video. Special online collections include Native American history, African-American history, United States presidents, immigration, literature, and cultural history. Coverage: American history - time periods vary, contains primary sources. Full text. - Archives of American Art This link opens in a new windowExplore primary resources, such as original letters, photographs, transcripts and audio materials on people and institutions that helped found American art. Coverage: 1800s to present, contains primary sources. Some full text.
- Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center This link opens in a new windowExplore the history of the Carlisle Indian School, including contents of the files of individual students, publications produced by the school, photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other information. This resource is hosted by Dickinson College and is a work in progress; new material is added on a regular basis. Coverage: contains primary sources. Full text.
- Churchill Archive Full-Text (Bloomsbury) This link opens in a new windowAccess Winston S. Churchill's original documents, ranging from personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders. Coverage: 1874-1965, contains primary sources. Full text.
