Using Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), you can search across millions of digitized primary sources from American libraries and museums including the Library of Congress, National Archives, and UWM Digital Collections. This is a great resource for finding primary sources related to American History.
The Digital Public Library of America 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. Contains materials from all the UW System Digital Collections, Recollection Wisconsin, the National Archives and Records Administration, University of California System, the Smithsonian, and the New York Public Library.
This video demonstrates how to search and browse the historical newspaper databases. These search tools allow you to find historical articles and issues published in the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Find database links below the video. Please note: you cannot find current or recently published news articles in these databases.
The Chicago Defender (1909-1975) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
The Chicago Tribune (1849-1999) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
The Los Angeles Times (1881-2000) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
The New York Times (1851-2020) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
The Wall Street Journal (1889-2012) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
The Washington Post (1877-2007) offers full page and article images with searchable full text. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
Google and other search engines can be a powerful tool for searching for primary sources. There are countless digital collections and library websites with primary sources out there; to find them you'll need to know how to common keywords that describe primary sources and strong web navigation skills.
World Digital Library is a search tool for finding primary sources related to World History.
Launched in 2009, the World Digital Library (WDL) was a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and contributions from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations around the world.