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THIST 430 Introduction to Public History - Nicoletta: Find Books (including primary sources)

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Locating primary & secondary sources

UW Libraries Search enables you to locate published  secondary sources written by scholars and researchers about historical topics.  You may also use it to locate both published compilations of primary sources -- documents, letters, journals, etc. and archival or manuscript collections held by UW Libraries in both print and digital forms.  Additionally, during your searches in UW Libraries Search you may find books that can be primary sources if they were written in the time period that your project is examining. See the search boxes below for suggestions for terms to locate primary resources via the catalog.

Search Terms for Primary Sources

Terms useful for locating primary sources in the UW Libraries Catalog:

  • sources
  • personal narratives
  • correspondence
  • letters
  • diaries
  • journals
  • interviews
  • sermons
  • documents
  • papers

Combine words like the ones listed above with your topic to locate published primary sources or archive collections at the UW.

  • ezra meeker and (letters or correspondence)

  • fred haley and interviews

  • fort steilacoom and history and sources

Sample Searches for Secondary Sources

Sample searches for secondary sources

  • tacoma and railroads

  • mount rainier national park and history

  • tacoma and (sports or baseball) and history