Library Catalog
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Primary Source Timeline
See our Primary Source Timeline to browse a selection of primary source databases organized by coverage dates and locations.
Other Primary Resources
For other types of primary sources such as diaries, interviews, pamphlets, government documents, manuscripts, and so on, you can search the Library Catalog below and/or WorldCat.
Type in the keyword search term plus the type of primary source ("diary" etc).
Another way is to read the bibliographies of articles and books that you already have found. You may find out what primary sources that the other scholars are using. Once you identify the sources, it should be easy to get hold of them, either by checking our library collection or requesting them via interlibrary loan.
For more information, see our guide on locating primary sources.
Find Primary Sources to Support Your Argument
You can support your argument by quoting from secondary sources (studies done by other scholars). But you have to use primary sources to make an original claim or argument.
- Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowAccess historical articles and images from the American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger; American Israelite; Atlanta Constitution; Atlanta Daily World; Baltimore Afro-American; Boston Globe; Chicago Defender; Chicago Tribune; Chinese Newspapers Collection; Guardian & Observer; Jewish Advocate; Jewish Exponent; Los Angeles Times; New York Amsterdam News; New York Times; Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia Tribune; Pittsburgh Courier; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Wall Street Journal; and Washington Post. Coverage: varies by paper ranging from 1791-2018, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Access newspapers from around the world, plus a wealth of legal, business, medical, and reference information. This collection includes news; cases; statutes & legislation; law reviews & journals; administrative codes & regulations; company and financial data (SEC Filings, company profiles, etc.); and government, legal, and business directories. Coverage: varies but mostly mid-19th century to current, contains primary sources. Mostly full text.
- Artstor on JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Explore quality images covering the visual arts, architecture, archaeology, fashion, geography, the performing arts, science, and technology. Collections feature visual media from leading museums, photo archives, scholars, and artists, which have been rights-cleared for educational use. ***It is necessary to turn off your browser's pop-up blocker for ARTstor to work properly.*** Recommended instructions for using ARTstor on JSTOR are available. A video on how to refine image searches in JSTOR is also available. Coverage: all eras, contains primary sources. Full text.
Databases
- Middle East Online: Arab-Israeli Relations 1917-1970 (Archives Unbound) This link opens in a new window
Access original documents revealing the workings of colonial administration and British diplomacy toward Israel and the Arab states, from the British Foreign Office, Colonial Office and War Office, as well as Cabinet Papers from the 1917 Balfour Declaration through to the Black September war of 1970-71. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1917-1970, contains primary sources. Full text. This purchase was a gift of the Walter E. Beach Library Fund.
- Middle East Online: Iraq, 1914-1974 (Archives Unbound) This link opens in a new window
Access original documents revealing the workings of the mandate administration, diplomacy, treaties, oil, and arms dealing, from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office and War Office, as well as Cabinet Papers from the Anglo-Indian landing in Basra in 1914 through the British Mandate in Iraq of 1920-32 to the rise of Saddam Hussein in 1974. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1914-1974, contains primary sources. Full text. This purchase was a gift of the Walter E. Beach Library Fund.
- Records of the Persian Gulf War (Archives Unbound) This link opens in a new window
Access documents related to the diplomatic and military response by the United States (as part of a multi-national force) to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1990-1991, contains primary sources. Full text. This purchase was a gift of the Walter E. Beach Library Fund.
- World News Connection Archive This link opens in a new windowAccess foreign language news articles translated into English. Search full text, limit results or browse by region, country and date. Coverage: varies by title - historical to 2013, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Arabic Collections Online This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Access free digital public domain Arabic language content, drawn from the Arabic collections of prominent research libraries. Subject areas include literature, business, science, law, religion, philosophy, and more. Coverage: varies, contains primary sources. Full text. - Confidential Print: Middle East This link opens in a new windowAccess papers generated by the British Foreign and Colonial Offices, tracing events in the countries of the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan, including Egyptian reforms in the 1830s, the Middle East Conference of 1921, the 1956 Suez crisis and post-Suez Western foreign policy, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Coverage: 1839-1969, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Foreign Office Files for the Middle East This link opens in a new windowAccess British Foreign Office files dealing with the Middle East, including: 1971-1974: the 1973 Arab Israeli War and the Oil Crisis, 1975-1978: the Lebanese Civil War and the Camp David Accords, and 1979-1981: the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Coverage: 1971-1981, contains primary sources. Full text.
- CQ Press Electronic Library This link opens in a new windowIncludes The Contemporary Middle East, a documentary history. Covers key events that have shaped the region since World War I. Searches across all of the CQ Press electronic resources. Coverage: 1915-present, contains primary sources. Full-Text.
