LibGuides: HIST 486/586: Resources for Local & Regional History: Primary Sources

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Subject headings for Primary Source Materials

SUBJECT KEYWORDS for primary source materials

The following are some subject keywords that can be used in combination with other search terms to find primary source materials using the library catalog:

sources

diaries

personal narratives

correspondence

oral history

interviews

biography

autobiography

Subject Headings & Call Numbers for U.S.-Mexico Border

Some useful subject headings for finding books about the U.S.-Mexico Border region:

Mexican-American Border Region

Mexican-American Border Region--History

Mexican-American Border Region--Economic conditions

Mexican-American Border Region--Social conditions

Mexico--Emigration and immigration

Southwest, New

Library of Congress Call Numbers relating to border topics:

F786 - F790 Mexican American Border Region; Southwest, New

E184 - E185 Ethnic groups in the United States (including Mexican Americans)

JV6465 Immigration and Emigration Mexico

Subject Guide

Nathan Camp

Subjects: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, English, Geological Sciences, History, Languages & Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, STEM

Overview

"Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, memoirs, documents produced by government agencies such as Congress or the Office of the President, photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures or video recordings, research data, and objects or artifacts such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons. These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research." (Source: Using Primary Sources on the Web, a website created by the History Section of the American Library Association's Reference and User Services.)

Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using

Open Access Primary Sources--selected

A very short list of public domain / open access digital resources available through the internet.

American Memory, Library of Congress
American Memory provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
Bodleian Library Digital Collections, University of Oxford
Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America 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.
New York Public Library Public Domain Digital Collections
World Digital Library--Library of Congress
WDL is a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, carried out with the support of the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), and in cooperation with libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations from around the world. The WDL makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from all countries and cultures.

NMSU Archives & Special Collections Websites

NMSU Library Special Collections/Rio Grande Historical Collections/University Archives

For more in-depth research and to find primary sources on many southwest and New Mexico topics, you may want to consult with an Archivist. The Archives and Special Collections Search Room (4^th Floor, Branson Library) is open from 9:00-4:00 M-F. Special Collections contains rare and unique published materials relating to New Mexico history. Materials in Archives include manuscript collections, oral history tapes and transcripts, and photographs. Catalog records for many archival collections can be found in the Library Catalog. For access to photographs, oral histories and other materials in the Archives, consult Archives web pages.

NMSU Library Catalog
Search the NMSU Library's holdings for books, audio, videos, and more.
Archives and Special Collections
Includes: NMSU Archives (Hobson-Huntsinger University Archives), Senator Pete V. Domenici Archives, Rio Grande Historical Collections (RGHC) and Special Collections.
NMSU Archives: The Hobson-Huntsinger University Archives
This archive preserves, houses, and makes accessible all records of enduring value created by administrators, faculty, students and alumni of New Mexico State University. Through these materials, the University Archives seeks to illuminate the history, evolution, and societal role of New Mexico State University.
Rio Grande Historical Collections
RGHC acquires, preserves, and makes available for research records of organizations, personal papers, and other unpublished materials which document the cultural heritage and history of New Mexico and the Southwestern experience. Major RGHC holdings include the Amador Trade Catalogs; Archivos Históricos del Arzobispado de Durango, Mexico; Archivo General de Notarías de Durango, Mexico; oral histories; and photographs which span 150 years of New Mexico history.
NMSU Library Digital Collections
Highlights include:
Photographic Collections More than 500,000 photographic items from the Rio Grande Historical Collections, with materials that cover almost 150 years of image making in New Mexico and the Southwest and pertain to all aspects of the state's cultural heritage.
Extension Publications This collection of approximately 3,200 documents provides over 100 years of research-based information about agriculture, health, economics, family life and natural resources. It includes Circulars, Guides, Handbooks, Annual Data Reports, Research Reports and Bulletins, Technical Reports and Task Force Reports from 1890 to present.

Round Up (NMSU) This link opens in a new window
NMSU's student-run newspapers The Round Up and The New Mexico Collegian from 1893 – 1999

NMSU Yearbooks
The NMSU Yearbooks collection consists of 95 editions of the student yearbook, from its first publication in 1907 to its final edition in 1992. Originally named the Swastika, and later renamed The Phoenix, these student yearbooks contain a wealth of university history and nostalgia.
Rocky Mountain Online Archive
RMOA provides online access to hundreds of finding aids and guides for archival collections in several major historical repositories in New Mexico, including the Rio Grande Historical Collections (NMSU), the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico, the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, and the Fray Angélico Chavez Library at the Palace of the Governors.

NMSU Library Databases for Primary Source Material

The following databases can be used to find primary source materials, mainly those published in newspapers and periodicals from a particular time and place that may provide contemporary accounts of historical events.

American Periodical Series Online, 1740-1900 This link opens in a new window
Contains digitized images of pages of more than 1,100 American magazines and journals that originated between 1741 and 1900. Coverage spans nearly 200 years-from colonial times to the advent of American involvement in WWII. Periodical articles from the time of an event may be used as primary sources.
American State Papers, 1789-1838 This link opens in a new window
Provides primary source material on many aspects of early American history from 1789 to 1838 and consists of approximately 6280 numbered publications, largely Congressional but also containing Executive Department materials, issued from 1832-1861.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1 (1684-1820) This link opens in a new window
EBSCO partners with American Antiquarian Society (AAS), the premier library documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to provide digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 2 (1821-1837) This link opens in a new window
EBSCO partners with American Antiquarian Society (AAS), the premier library documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to provide digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 3 (1838-1852) This link opens in a new window
EBSCO partners with American Antiquarian Society (AAS), the premier library documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to provide digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 4 (1853-1865) This link opens in a new window
EBSCO partners with American Antiquarian Society (AAS), the premier library documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to provide digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 5 (1866-1912) This link opens in a new window
EBSCO partners with American Antiquarian Society (AAS), the premier library documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to provide digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
Archive of Americana This link opens in a new window
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Includes: American State Papers, 1789-1838; the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980; and the Serial Set Maps.
Historic Mexican and Mexican American Press This link opens in a new window
150 years of news coverage documenting the voice of the Mexican and Mexican American community from the mid-1800s to the 1970s.
Lexis-Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to current news, business, legal, and reference information.
Informe Académico This link opens in a new window
Informe Académico proporciona acceso a periódicos y revistas especializadas de lengua española y portuguesa. La base de datos ofrece una amplia gama de contenidos sobre América Latina.

Informe Académico provides access to Spanish- and Portuguese-language scholarly journals and magazines. The database offers a wide range of content both from and about Latin America.
New Mexico Newspapers (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The electronic editions of record for several New Mexico newspapers.
New York Times, 1851-2019 This link opens in a new window
Offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
Sanborn Digital Maps: New Mexico This link opens in a new window
A valuable historical tools for a wide variety of researchers--essentially anyone who wants to learn about the history, growth, and development of American cities, towns, and neighborhoods. These maps are large-scale plans containing data that can be used to estimate the potential risk for urban structures.

Special Collections @ University of Texas at El Paso

The C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department is located on the sixth floor at the University of Texas at El Paso Library. The book collections include the Chicano Collection, the Judaica Collection, the S. L. A. Marshall Military History Collection, the Southwest and Border Studies Collection, as well as collections of art and rare books. In addition to printed sources, the department has manuscript and archival collections available. There is also an oral historycollection documenting the region.

Oral History Collections
The Institute of Oral History was established in 1972 for the purpose of "preserving the history of the region adjacent to the Rio Grande both in the United States and in Mexico." Since that time, the Institute has built one of the largest border-related oral history collections in the United States. Search oral history recordings by keywords.
Photographic Images Collections
Border History Manuscript Collections
A selected list of the approximately 565 manuscript collections held in the Special Collections Department of the University of Texas at El Paso Library.

How to Cite

Chicago / Turabian Documentation Style
Chicago Style is the preferred citation and writing style for historical research
Chicago Manual of Style Online
Purdue OWL Guide to Chicago Manual of Style
Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students
Online guide for writing history papers