Your Librarian
Find primary sources
Primary sources are original documents created at the time of an event, such as a newspaper account, photographs, or videos. Primary sources also include diaries, memoirs, interviews and other records that document a past event. Historians use primary sources to interpret the past while building upon previous historical research.
Use advanced library search to find interviews, personal narratives, statistics, diaries, correspondence, biographies, and archives.
Search example: “Vietnam War, 1961-1975” AND "personal narratives"
To find maps with advanced library search, select "Material types" then "Maps."
Search example: “New Orleans” AND maps
Some of our historical materials are available on microform. See our U.S. history microform collections:
Manuscripts and other rare and unique materials can be found in Special Collections with an emphasis on Arizona and the Southwest, borderlands, University of Arizona, political affairs, literature and history of science.
-
ARC: Archival Research Catalog (NARA)Search the online catalog of U.S. National Archive.
Primary source collections
-
America's Historical ImprintsIncludes several large collections of early American publications from 1639 - 1800.
-
American Civil War Letters and DiariesFind diaries, letters, and memoirs of persons involved in the American Civil War from 1855 to 1875.
Provided through the generous support of the Friends of the University of Arizona Libraries.
-
American Memory ProjectLarge digital collection from the Library of Congress including photographs from the National Archives.
-
American West: The Graff CollectionManuscripts, ephemera and rare printed sources digitized from the Everett D. Graff Collection at the Newberry Library, a unique archival collection that provides rich information about Texas, Mexico and the South, as well as Native American culture.
-
Arte Publico Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 1Find historical content pertaining to U.S. Hispanic history, literature and culture from colonial times until 1960. The content is in Spanish (80%) and English (20%), and is searchable in both languages. Materials are drawn from the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project.
-
Black Thought and CultureFind full text of non-fiction published works of leading African Americans, interviews, journal articles, and other material of 20th century topics, including politics, religion, history, and sports.
-
Documenting the American SouthFind first person narratives of the South, North American slave narratives and a library of the American South.
-
Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the EnvironmentFind primary sources including letters, diaries and accounts, from 1534 to 1850, documenting interactions and encounters among peoples in North America, including American Indians, explorers, traders, and more.
-
History VaultUnlock a wealth of archival primary source materials with a single search, including letters, papers, government documents, oral histories, and much more, covering various topics and periods in U.S. history.
Note: Click on Browse on upper left to view a list of the collections available at UA.
-
Immigration Records of the INS, 1880-1930Documents cover Asian immigration, especially Japanese and Chinese migration, to California, Hawaii, and other states; Mexican immigration to the U.S. from 1906-1930; and European immigration. Use the Browse Collection tab to search only the Immigration Records collection.
-
North American Indian Thought and CultureFind biographies, autobiographies, speeches, diaries, letters, and oral histories on indigenous peoples of North America.
-
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral HistoriesSearch the digitized letters, diaries, and oral histories of immigrants to the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. Materials can be searched by country of origin, occupation of author, reason for immigration, date, place of settlement, and political affiliation.
-
North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial to 1950Large collection of women's diaries and correspondence, from Colonial times to 1950.
-
Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives 1960-1974Find narratives of key events, trends, and movements in diaries, letters, autobiographies and other memoirs, written and oral histories, manifestos, government documents, memorabilia, and scholarly commentary.
Map collections
-
David Rumsey CollectionRare 16th through 20th century North American and South American maps and other cartographic materials.
-
Perry Casteneda Library Map CollectionDigital maps of early inhabitants, exploration and settlement, territorial growth, U.S. military maps are included.
-
Maps of Primeria: Early Cartography of the SouthwestIllustrations and descriptions of original rare and historic maps from the University of Arizona Library Map Collection. They portray and chronicle four centuries of mapping from the earliest map of the region in the collection, 1556.