Primary sources are documents that were created at the time an event occurred. They contain firsthand accounts, usually recorded by someone who participated in, witnessed or lived through the event.

Listed below are some of the primary sources held at the Downers Grove Public Library. The Internet has now become a major source of such documents and some useful sites are also included.

• Periodicals
Ask at the Computer Room and Magazine Desk for these:

Chicago Tribune on microfilm, 1976 to the present; online full-text 1985 to the present.

Downers Grove Reporter on microfilm from 1895 to the present. Useful for coverage of local historical events.

New York Times on microfilm from 1940–1965 and 1970 to the present; online full-text 1999 to the present.

Newsweek on microfilm from 1958–1979; on microfiche from 1980 to the present.

Life Magazine 1953–1972; 1979–May, 2000.

Time Magazine on microfiche from 1939–1962; on microfilm from 1963–1979; on microfiche from 1980 to the present.

US News and World Report on microfilm from 1965–1980; on microfiche 1980 to the present.

The library also has historical coverage of a number of periodicals not listed above. Check the Magazine List for additional titles.

Ask at the Reference Desk for access to these:

*Ref 909.8 GRE
Great Events as Reported in the New York Times
This is a microfiche collection of newspaper articles covering important events that occurred from 1853–1993.

Chicago Tribune Historical Archive online covers news stories from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It includes front pages, selected articles, death notices, and obituaries.

• Books
Ref 973 CON
Historic Documents
These are annual volumes for the years 1972 through 1992. They contain primary documents with international coverage of public affairs.

Ref 973.082 ANN
The Annals of America
This multivolume work covers the period from 1493 to 2001, and contains first-hand accounts, speeches, letters and other documents.

Books in the circulating collection may also include primary documents. For example, the Eyewitness History series includes excerpts of first-person commentary at the end of each chapter. Ask a reference librarian for assistance locating a particular subject.

• Internet Resources
General
Finding Primary Resources on the Web
A useful site that offers a discussion of primary sources and lists many links. It also shows how to find other primary source websites, evaluate their content and cite them in your research paper.

Internet History Sourcebooks Project
This is a massive, comprehensive site covering almost all historical periods and geographic locations. It includes primary and secondary source links.

United States History
Amdocs: Documents for the Study of American History
Links are arranged in a chronological listing of events from 1492 to 2004.

American Memory
Sponsored by the Library of Congress, this site offers over nine million items from over one hundred historical collections.

Documenting the American South
Provides extensive coverage of southern history and culture. Click on the subject index for an alphabetical list of links to specific sites.

US National Archives & Records Administration
The NARA preserves the records of the U.S. Government. Click on the tan panel at the bottom of the picture labeled Our Documents to find facsimiles of 100 milestone documents in American history. Enter the Exhibit Hall for a fascinating array of special displays of historic interest.

World History
Eurodocs: Primary Historical Documents from Western Europe
This site is arranged by country and includes links to Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

Eyewitness to History
“History through the eyes of those who lived it.” This is a commercial site that offers free access to brief first-person accounts of historical events.

World History Sources Online
This is a helpful directory of links that are described and evaluated by historians. You can search by region or time period. In advanced search mode, you can specify the type of primary document and search by keyword.

Prepared by Marty Krause, December 2004