Spence School Library: Independent History Research Fellows Program: Locating Primary Source Archives: Physical Collections

Archive Indexes

Archive Grid
ArchiveGrid includes over 7 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,400 archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.

To locate collections with digital content: add " has_links:1" to your search.
For example: 1918 influenza has_links:1
Google
Put your subject's name or multi-word topic in quotes and add archival keywords to find collections. For example, try a search like this: "A. Philip Randolph" AND (papers OR manuscripts OR archives OR collection). Google can be helpful for finding collections in libraries, archives, historical societies and other institutions that may not appear in searches of databases like WorldCat and ArchiveGrid. And it can also can turn up library research guides, bibliographies, and other reference tools that may help streamline your research.

ARCHIVAL SEARCH ENGINES: EUROPE & UK

Archives Hub
Use the Archives Hub to find unique sources for your research, both physical and digital. Search across descriptions of archives, held at over 380 institutions across the UK.
Archives Portal Europe
Archives Portal Europe provides you a single access to find, browse and discover information on archives about Europe held by thousands of cultural heritage institutions from more than 30 countries. We continually grow and expand our content, adding more countries, more institutions, and more archival collections.

Provides information and detailed indexing to manuscript collections from over 5,000 U.S. repositories. This database is only accessible at the following NYPL locations: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building; New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Thomas Yoseloff Business Center

Search String Builder

Search Strategy Builder
Need help searching for sources using the library databases? Use this search strategy builder to create a search string.

Published Sources: Locating Anthologies and Memoirs

WorldCat Discovery
Use the Advanced Search option and try your search multiple ways. You can add the word "sources" as an additional subject term or try other keywords such as archives, correspondence, diaries, interviews, narratives, and memoirs. You can also set the format to "Archival Material" to narrow down results, but be sure to browse through the initial results first to see what turned up in the broader search.

-Use Worldcat advanced search option and include one or more of these Library of Congress Subject Heading form subdivisions in your search:

Example SUBJECT:(Correspondence OR sources OR "personal narratives" OR documents OR archives OR manuscripts OR interviews)

Correspondence
Sources
Diaries
Personal narratives
Interviews
Speeches
Documents
Archives
Early works to 1800
Manuscripts