Primary Sources are recorded or written down at the time of the event and include items such as diaries, letters, newspaper accounts, photographs, artifacts, literature, maps and government documents.
Learn more about how to recognize and use primary sources in your research via the MSU Libraries' Special Online Exhibit: Primary Sources.
Below are a few suggestions for databases or other resources that might have primary sources helpful for your assignment. They're loosely grouped to help you navigate.
Includes the full text of:
Atlanta Daily World (1931-2010)
Calgary Herald (1883-2010)
Chicago Defender (1909-2010)
Chicago Tribune (1849-2013)
Chinese Newspapers Collection (1832-1953)
Cleveland Call and Post (1934-2010)
Communist Historical Newspaper Collection (1919-2013)
Detroit Free Press (1831-1922)
Indianapolis Star (1903-2004)
Le Monde (1944-2000)
Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals (1845-2015)
Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2010)
Los Angeles Times (1881-2014)
Louisville Courier Journal (1830-1922) (1830-1922)
Louisville Defender (1951-2010)
Michigan Chronicle (1939-2010)
Minneapolis Star Tribune (1867-2001)
Montreal Gazette (1785-2010)
New York Amsterdam News (1922-2010)
New York Tribune / Herald Tribune (1841-1962)
Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2010)
Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2010)
Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010)
San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922)
South China Morning Post (1903-2001)
St. Louis Post Dispatch (1874-2003)
The American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger (1857-1922)
The American Israelite (1854-2000)
The Atlanta Constitution (1868-1984)
The Austin American Statesman (1871-1980)
The Baltimore Afro-American (1893-2010)
The Baltimore Sun (1837-1997)
The Boston Globe (1872-1991)
The Christian Science Monitor (1908-2009)
The Cincinnati Enquirer (1841-1922) (1841-1922)
The Globe and Mail (1844-2019)
The Guardian and The Observer (1791-2003)
The Irish Times and The Weekly Irish Times (1859-2021)
The Jerusalem Post (1932-2008)
The Jewish Advocate (1905-1990)
The Jewish Exponent (1887-1990)
The Korea Times (1956-2016)
The Nashville Tennessean
The New York Times (1851-2019)
The Philadelphia Inquirer (1860-2001)
The Province (1894-2010)
The Scotsman (1817-1950)
The Times of India (1838-2010)
The Wall Street Journal (1889-2011)
The Washington Post (1877-2006)
Toronto Star (1894-2020)
U.S. Midwest Collection
Finally, it contains these aggregations: "Ethnic NewsWatch" (1959-present) and "ProQuest Civil War Era" (selected newspapers and pamphlets from 1850-1870).
The Library has primary sources in our print collection located both in the regular shelves (which you can get yourself and check out) and in Special Collections (which a librarian will get for you and which you will use while in the Special Collections Reading Room).
To access primary sources (and other items within our collection), you will click on the Books & Media link on the homepage (lib.msu.edu). From there, you can do a keyword search, an advanced search (my default choice), a title search, or an author search.
Type any major topic as a KEYWORD search, then limit the date of publication to the specific time period you're studying.
Look for primary sources in the catalog using the following terms in a keyword search.
Try using the above combined with other key terms, but do not limit yourself to only these terms.
When you find a useful record, you will see subject headings linked at the bottom. You can also search using those. They're good to know about, but you have to use them exactly.
Sample Subject Headings:
Also try searching for the major figures in a movement who may have written on the topic. (Reference sources may give you some ideas of names to try). Chances are that we have some of their works in the library; see, for example:
Tip! Use an AUTHOR search to find material BY a given person. To find material ABOUT a person, use a SUBJECT search. In both cases, enter the last name followed by the first name. You can also search for political parties and organizations as AUTHORS; party platforms and other informational materials issued by the organization are often located in the library!
The MSU Archives and Historical Collections is located in Conrad Hall. The Archives maintain records for the university, including images, yearbooks, newspapers, and other memorabilia of student life. The Archives website is difficult to search, and most of their material is only available in print. I recommend going there in person if you are interested in their collections and are specifically researching WWII at MSU.
Phone: (517) 355-2330
Email: archives@msu.edu