Research Guides: ENG 144: Digital Humanities: Primary Source Collections

Selected Primary Source Collections

There is no singular good place to search for primary sources. Below is a selected list of collections available to Gustavus students. See also our Guide to Primary Sources.

Civil Rights and Social Justice

An online collection of publications on civil rights in the United States. This collection includes publications from the Commission on Civil Rights, legislative histories on landmark legislation, briefs from relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases, and more. The Civil Rights & Social Justice database is provided to libraries at no cost by HeinOnline.

LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide (Library of Congress)
This guide provides information on the LGBTQIA+ collections of the Library of Congress. It also includes links to external websites and archives.

New York Times Historical

The full text of the New York Times from 1851 to 4 years ago -- covering the entire publishing history of the newspaper back to the first issue. The newspaper text is fully indexed and searchable and the database also contains full-page images, including graphics.
Phyllis Lyon, Del Martin and the Daughters of Bilitis
This collection, from the library of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco, documents the work of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, founders in 1955 of the first lesbian rights organization in U.S. history, the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). They also were instrumental in the formation and growth of other related social movements, including the contemporary women’s rights movement. Covers 1955-1984.
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin: Beyond the Daughters of Bilitis
This collection, from the library of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco, documents decades of Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin’s work for the LGBT movement and the women’s rights movement in both in San Francisco and nationally. Included are minutes, correspondence, and notes related to their work with the ACLU, the San Francisco Coalition for Human Rights, the Commission on Crime Control and Violence Protection, the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and the National Organization for Women. Covers 1966-1984.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
Primary source documents related to the history of women and social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000.

Primary? Secondary?

The term "primary source" is defined differently by various disciplines.

In the humanities, a primary source is a historical document, such as a diary, memoir, a work of art, a news account published when an event was fresh - something from the historical period under examination.
In the sciences, a primary source is a scientist's write-up of their research that includes their methods and results, as opposed to science journalism or a summary of research (a "review article") that has been conducted to provide an overview of research on a given topic.

A secondary source is one that has already been analyzed by someone else. There are also tertiary sources, such as a textbook or encyclopedia, that summarizes knowledge in general terms.

Primary sources help a researcher get as close as possible to the subject under examination. They can point your reader to the raw materials of your ideas and provide an opportunity for you to do your own, original analysis. For more about primary sources, check out our guide to primary sources available in our library.