The Library provides access to a number of primary sources. There are many different kinds of primary sources, anything from zines to diaries to newspaper articles to memoirs. The resources on this page are not comprehensive, so explore what's here, and if you can't find what you're looking for or if you need more suggestions, please contact a librarian. You can also consult our Guide to Primary Sources for even more information.
To find primary source materials shelved in the Gustavus library, go to the Advanced Search in the library catalog. In one of the search boxes, enter the word "source" and set the field to "Subject." Then, enter keywords related to your topic in another box. This search will bring back primary source materials that are in edited volumes.
All of the books and microfilm collections listed below can be found in the Gustavus Library. Talk with a librarian if you need help locating any of these resources.
The Early Modern Englishwoman: A Facsimile Library of Essential Works - A 10 volume collection of British women's writing from 1500 to 1640, including the writings of Elizabeth and Mary Tudor, Jane Seymour, confessional writing, poetry, and mother's advice books • Location(s): PR 1121 .E19 2000
Schomburg Library of Nineteenth Century Black Women Writers - This series of books, published by Oxford University Press, reprints all sorts of writings by Black women -- personal narratives, novels, poetry, anthologies. They are not shelved all together, but can be located on the catalog by searching the series name as a title. • Location(s): Various Call Numbers
Women in America from Colonial Times to the 20th Century - This series of reprints, produced by Arno Press, includes works by and about women published before 1900. The volumes are shelved in various locations, but searching the catalog using the series as a title will bring up a listing of the works in the series. • Location(s): Various Call Numbers
American Women's Diaries - This collection of microfilm reproduces the diaries of women who lived and traveled in the western U.S., New England, and the South. • Location(s): Microfilm - CT 3260 .A64 1984. The microfilm collection and machines are on the bottom floor of the library, near the Young Adult section. Ask a librarian for more help locating the collection and using the microfilm machines.
The Cornell University Collection of Women's Rights Pamphlets - This collection of microfiche contains 117 pamphlets published between 1814 and 1912. • Location(s): Microfilm Room - Microfiche HQ 1236 .C675 1974
1814-1912 The microfilm and microfiche collection and machines are on the bottom floor of the library, near the Young Adult section. Ask a librarian for more help locating the collection and using the microfilm and microfiche machines.
Herstory Microfilm Collection - This collection of microfilm largely consists of women's periodicals. There is no single detailed index to the series, so use requires a certain amount of inventiveness and patience to use. There are two supplementary collections of clippings arranged in broad subject categories dealing with Women's Law (MicroF KF 477 .A1 W6) and Women and Health (Microfilm MF 96). • Location(s): MicroF HQ 1101 .H47. The microfilm collection and machines are on the bottom floor of the library, near the Young Adult section. Ask a librarian for more help locating the collection and using the microfilm machines.
