Finding Primary or Exhibit Sources
The following databases, websites, and platforms facilitate online discovery of and access to a wide variety of primary source materials.
For more primary source databases, visit the Databases A-Z, and search by Types for Primary sources.
-
AM-Explorer This link opens in a new window
Access millions of pages of primary source collections spanning content from the 15th-21st centuries.
-
Digital Public Library of America This link opens in a new windowA platform that brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science.
-
Gale Primary Sources (LEECA Access) This link opens in a new window
Topically focused collections of historical documents, including the American Civil Liberties Union Papers (1912-1990), Archives Unbound, Archives of Sexuality & Gender, British Library Newspapers, The Economist Historical Archive (1843-2014), 18th Century Collections Online, Indigenous Peoples: North America, 19th Century Collections Online, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, Political Radicalism & Extremism in the 20th Century, Sabin Americana (1500-1926), and The London Times Digital Archive (1785-1985).
-
HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
HathiTrust is a repository of digital content from 50 research libraries, including electronic versions of nearly 8 million books at the time of writing.
Note: As of May 2023, Oberlin is a HathiTrust member. Oberlin students, faculty, and staff can access member features by clicking on the “LOG IN” button, choosing “Oberlin College and Conservatory”, and using their ObieID to authenticate. -
Library of Congress Digital Collections This link opens in a new windowGateway to the Library of Congress's vast resources of digitized American historical materials. Comprising more than 9 million items that document U.S. history and culture, the content is organized into more than 100 thematic collections.
Finding U.S. Government Documents
The following databases, websites, and platforms facilitate online discovery of and access to United States government documents.
For more government document databases, visit the Databases A-Z, and search by Types for U.S. government publications.
-
American State Papers (1789-1838) This link opens in a new windowLegislative and executive branch documents from the first 14 U.S. congresses, including presidential speeches, treaties and more.
-
Digital National Security Archive This link opens in a new windowCollections of declassified government documents covering world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions from 20th and 21st centuries.
-
DiscoverGov This link opens in a new window
DiscoverGov provides simple, one-stop searching across multiple U.S. Federal Government databases including GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) and GovInfo. It will retrieve reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources and publications available online.
-
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the record keeper for the U.S. federal government, and retains those documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the government which are considered important for legal or historical reasons.
Identifying Archival Collections
Archives all over the world are working to make their collections discoverable online. The following tool(s) may be useful for identifying archive collections relevant to your research.
-
ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new windowIncludes over 5 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
-
Finding Aid Repository - OhioLINK This link opens in a new windowSearch finding aids across Ohio to locate archival materials and collections.