Searching HOLLIS for Primary Sources

SOME WAYS TO IDENTIFY THEM

cover of book of primary sources from the catalog in re: war of independence in algeria

  • Sometimes, adding the word sources to a keyword string will retrieve published collections of primary source materials.  Other words that you can try include document* (for documents and documentary); reader; anthology; casebook. 
  • Using the right side limits, adjust the DATE PARAMETERS of your search results. Items that were published on the subject during the period you specify will qualify as primary sources.  
  • Using the right side limits, examine the FORM/GENRE categories. Items that have been tagged with words like interviews, autobiography, memoir, speeches, photographs, correspondence (and so on) might help you target various kinds of primary sources.
  • Look for a biography of the individual or associated with the conflict you study. Full-length biographies are chock full of primary source references -- from shopping lists to letters to contemporary reviews and perceptions. Some of these will be in archives and impossible for you to reach given the constraints of the term; others will be republished and can be easily obtained for you  by other means. 

Newsmedia as Primary Source

BEST BETS FOR TOPICS 1980-PRESENT:

Nexis Uni HARVARD KEY

A large, full-text collection of English language news sources -- state, national, and international. Coverage begins (roughly) around 1980 for most of these sources. This database has nice features: the ability to search transcripts of TV and radio broadcasts, for example, and to limit to editorial and opinion pages.

 

BEST BETS FOR NEWS COVERAGE BEFORE ~1995

 

ProQuest Historical Newspapers  HARVARD KEY

For topics that were in the news earlier than 1980, this suite of databases (which includes the digitized content of important papers like the NYT, Boston Globe, LA Times, Washington Post (and more) is the obvious choice. This database also includes some international papers (UK, CA, Times of India, etc.).

1995 is something of an arbitrary date marker; how much recent content you get in a historical newspaper database can vary from newspaper title to newspaper title.

But in general, if you think "older" news (25 years), think Proquest Historical first.

Gale News Vault  HARVARD KEY

A significant collection of digitized newspapers and 20th-century news magazines from the UK. Titles include the Daily Mail archive; the Economist archive; the Financial Times archive; the Illustrated London News historical archive; Liberty Magazine archive; the Listener Magazine archive; the Picture Post historical archive; the Sunday Times Digital Archive; the Times Digital Archive; and the Times Literary Supplement historical archive.

British Pathé

British Pathé is considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world and is a treasure trove of 200,000+ film clips, unrivaled in their historical and cultural significance. It also includes materials from the Reuters Historical Collection.

Spanning the years from 1896 to 1978, this massive collection includes footage from around the globe of major events, famous faces, fashion trends, travel, science and culture. The entire archive is available to view online for free.

FBIS (Foreign Broadcast Information Service), 1941-1996 HARVARD KEY

The original mission of FBIS was to monitor, record, transcribe and translate intercepted radio broadcasts from foreign governments, official news services, and clandestine broadcasts from occupied territories.  These reports are thus a key information source to mine for conflicts from WWII through the First Chechen War.

UK, US, World: Some General Databases

Internet Archive

An online library of digitized texts and such cultural artifacts as film, images, audio recordings, film (including television news), software programs and archived web pages (these via the Wayback Machine).  If you need to, create a free account.

DPLA (Digital Public  Library of America)

A free, all-digital library that brings together descriptions and digitized versions of materials from libraries, museums and institutions around the country.

Hathi Trust Digital Library

Excellent for identifying government documents, books (online if out of copyright).  Choose HARVARD as your login.

Special Focus: the Algerian War

Use these sources alongside the other kinds listed above.

FRENCH LANGUAGE SOURCES IN HOLLIS

Algeria -- History -- Revolution, 1954-1962 -- Sources

FRENCH LANGUAGE  COLLECTIONS ONLINE

RetroNews: A large full-text collection of French-language newspapers, great for exploring French history from 1631 to 1950. HARVARD KEY

Les questions mémorielles portant sur la colonisation et la guerre d'Algérie (Stora Report)

VISUAL SOURCES

 Algerié (ECPAD, Agence d'Images de la Defensé)

Special Focus: Child Soldiers

Use these sources alongside the other kinds listed above.

Child Soldiers (Internet Archive: film footage, interviews, recorded testimony, etc.)

Child Soldiers Project, (Henry L. Stimson Center)

UN: Child Recruitment and Use 

U.N. Digital Library 

Special Focus: U.S. Civil War

Use these sources alongside the other kinds listed above.

The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries HARVARD KEY

Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines  HARVARD KEY

Images of the American Civil War: Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera  HARVARD KEY

ProQuest Civil War: Primary source materials which feature selected newspapers (from northern, southern, and border states) and pamphlets on slavery, abolition, and the war.  HARVARD KEY

Special Focus: Iraq and Afghanistan

Use these sources alongside the other kinds listed above.

ProQuest Congressional: HARVARD KEY  Great for hearings, CRS reports (a kind of legislator's issue brief), and more.

Digital National Security Archive HARVARD KEY

Special filters to add to Google or Advanced Google searches:

  • try adding this domain to Google keyword searches: site:.gov  (for U.S. goverment) 
  • try adding this domain to Google keyword searches: site:.mil  (for publications that derive from U.S. military sites and centers)
  • try adding this string to Google keyword searches:filetype pdf (often a way to bring up "polished" papers, reports, and publications)

Special Focus: Activism, Protest, the State