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HIST 091: Senior Research Seminar (SC)

History 091: Senior Research Seminar (Bruce Dorsey and Bob Weinberg) Fall 2023

Letters and Diaries  (Primary Sources)

Edited collections of primary sources (including letters, diaries, speeches, etc.)

Examples: Edited Collections of Primary Sources


How to Find Edited Collections:

Use these tools:

  • Tripod - Search for print and online books from the TriCo Libraries.
  • Worldcat - Go beyond Tripod. Search for books in library collections across the US and world. (Found a relevant book? Learn how to request it.)

What to look for:

Specific subject headings are used in library catalogs (like Tripod) to describe primary source documents that have been collected and published. Here are some examples:

  • "--Sources"
  • "--Personal Narratives"
  • "--Description and Travel"
  • "--Facsimiles"
  • "--Periodicals"
  • "--Interviews"
  • "--Correspondence"
  • "--Pamphlets"

Click here for a full list of subject headings used to catalog primary sources and more information about how to search using these subject headings.

Some search approaches to try

There's no search strategy that will work for every topic. You'll need to try different keywords and strategies, and be persistent.

Name of a person

  • Find names through background research
  • A person could have been directly involved, or been an observer or commentator
  • For example: to research WWI, Neith Boyce's diaries (American writer who discusses her trips to Europe during WWI in her diaries)

Profession, role, or category of person