History 4491E – Primary Sources
2012- 2013
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History 3411 – The Virgin Queen
Finding Primary Sources
A) Use the Shared Library Catalogue - http://alpha.lib.uwo.ca
1. Add subject headings to your keyword search
You can locate primary sources through the catalogue by doing a keyword search and
then adding one of the special subject terms to your search
 Correspondence
 Diaries
 Interviews
 Personal Narratives
 Sources
For example: history AND Elizabeth I AND britain AND sources
women AND england AND diaries
2. Browse subject headings
You can browse the library catalogue`s holdings by searching for specific subject
headings. Here are some subject headings to start with:
 Elizabeth 1558 1603 Great Britain History
 Elizabeth 1558 1603 Great Britain History Bibliography
 Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 – Sources
 Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Early works to 1800.
 Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
 Great Britain -- History -- Tudors 1485 1603 -- Historiography
 Great Britain -- History -- Tudors 1485 1603 -- Sources
 Great Britain -- Economic Conditions -- 16th Century
 etc...
3. Look up specific historical figures
If you know of a specific person from the time period you`re concerned with, look under
that person as an author or as a subject heading to see if we have memoirs, diaries, or
correspondence
 e.g. Author search: Elizabeth I Queen Of England 1533 1603
 e.g. Author search: Raleigh Walter Sir 1552 1618
4. Limit searches by date
H. Campbell
Brescia University College
2012- 2013
History 4491E – Primary Sources
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Conduct your regular search (whether keyword searching or subject searching) and limit
your results by date. Particularly useful for historiographical searching.
 e.g. Under “Keyword” search tab, fill in “Published” after and before dates
B) Search for Government Documents on the web
1. British National Archives - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
The British Government’s national archive for England, Wales, and the United Kingdom,
with over 1,000 years of the nation’s records. Choose the “Online Collections” tab in their
catalogue to only find items available through this website.
2. Legislation.gov.uk - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
Government documents available as far back as 1200. See Acts of the English
Parliament to find specific documents: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep. Old Irish and
Scottish government documents also available.
3. Parliament.uk Archives - http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/
parliamentary-archives/archives-electronic/
Digital archives of publically accessible material, including debates and proceedings
(from 1200).
C) Databases through Western Libraries – Most Topics
(Available through www.lib.uwo.ca/databases except where indicated)
1. Early English Books Online - up to 1700
Early English Books Online (EEBO) is a major research collection providing images of
over 100,000 imprints from 1475 to 1700. Publications in English and foreign languages
printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, British America are included, plus English
books printed in other countries from 1641-1700.
2. Eighteenth Century Collections Online – 1701-1800
A comprehensive full-text, full-image archive of approximately 150,000 titles consisting
of books, pamphlets, broadsides and ephemera printed in the United Kingdom and the
Americas between 1701 and 1800.
3. Empire Online, 1492-1969
This database offers 60,000 images of original documents linked to essays by leading
scholars in the field of (British) Empire Studies.
4. In the First Person
H. Campbell
Brescia University College
2012- 2013
History 4491E – Primary Sources
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In the First Person is a free, high quality, professionally published, in-depth index of
close to 4,000 collections of personal narratives in English from around the world,
including diaries, letters and more.
5. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - http://alpha.lib.uwo.ca/record=b4723820
An illustrated collection of more than 57,000 specially written biographies of the men and
women from around the world who shaped all aspects of Britain's past.
D) Databases through Western Libraries – Specific Topics
(Available through www.lib.uwo.ca/databases except where indicated)
1. British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries: from 1500-1900
Spans more than 400 years of personal writings, bringing together the voices of women
from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
2. Defining Gender, 1450-1910
A collection of over 50,000 images from original documents relating to Gender Studies.
3. Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice
This resource is designed as a portal for slavery and abolition studies, and brings
together documents and collections covering the time period 1490-2007, drawn from
libraries and archives across the Atlantic world. The collection documents key aspects of
the history of slavery worldwide, including the African Coast, the Middle Passage,
varieties of slave experience, religion, revolts, abolition, and legislation.
E) Databases through Western Libraries – Historiographical Research
(Available through www.lib.uwo.ca/databases except where indicated)
1. 19th Century Masterfile (Books, newspapers, periodicals)
Indexes nineteenth century literature, including newspapers, periodicals, books, and
government publications.
2. British and Irish women's letters and diaries: from 1500-1900
Spans more than 400 years of personal writings, bringing together the voices of women
from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
3. Eighteenth Century Journals: A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals, c1685-1815
The Eighteenth Century Journals Portal consists of rare newspapers and journals
illuminating all aspects of 18th-century social, political and literary life. Many materials
are ephemeral, lasting only for a handful of issues, while others run for several years.
Together, they offer effective coverage of the important issues of the period, and are
invaluable to the study of all aspects of the eighteenth century, including crime, sport,
advertising, the theatre; fashion; politics, revolution ; agriculture ; social issues and
H. Campbell
Brescia University College
2012- 2013
History 4491E – Primary Sources
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society life.
4. Historical Abstracts
Provides abstracts to dissertations and scholarly articles and books on world history
from 1450 to the present. (Except the United States and Canada which is covered in
AMERICA, HISTORY AND LIFE.) Coverage includes all branches of world history:
political; diplomatic; military; economic; social; cultural; religious; and intellectual. The
database also covers the history of science, technology, and medicine.
5. JSTOR
Provides access to full text, full image scholarly literature across all disciplines. Contains
archival holdings of major research journals, including 177 History-related publications.
6. Other web resources
1. British History Online - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/Default.aspx
Built by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust, British
History Online is a digital library containing some of the core printed primary and
secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Includes
links to maps, taxation records, wills and more.
For more information, see:
Heather Campbell
Library Instruction Coordinator
Beryl Ivey Library, Brescia University College
heather.campbell@uwo.ca
H. Campbell
Brescia University College