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How to Find Primary Sources

Find specific types of primary sources:

Search the online catalog for primary sources:

  • Use Subject Headings for your topic and words like "-diaries", "-personal narratives" (i.e. Spain--History--Civil War, 1936-1939--Personal narratives)
  • Use subject headings such as:
    • American Diaries--Bibliography
    • Autobiography--Bibliography
    • Diaries--Women

Primary sources in many formats--letters, diaries, oral histories, newspapers, pamphlets, zines, etc.--are available in Duke's Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, 103 Perkins. Reference staff are available to help researchers locate appropriate material.

What is a primary source?

A primary source is a first-hand account of an event. Primary sources may include newspaper articles, letters, diaries, interviews, laws, reports of government commissions, and many other types of documents.