Four tips for locating archival material (primary sources) for your research

In using this quick guide, remember that there are numerous ways of discovering useful primary source material.  These four suggestions should be used as a starting point for your research project.

1) Look in the footnotes of secondary works about your topic.  If the author used primary source materials, they will be included in the bibliography and the footnotes.  This method will give you an idea of the scope of primary sources available.  Additionally, it is perfectly legitimate to utilize an archival collection already used by another scholar.  It is even possible that the contents of a repository used by previous scholars have changed.  Archives tend to build their collections around particular subjects, so it is possible that an archive has received new collections that might be relevant to your project.

2) Search the Internet.  The Internet is an excellent tool for uncovering leads to primary source material.  Many archives have websites that include summaries and guides to their collections.  Searching for archival material on the Internet can be tricky and takes some research savvy.  Remember that most historical archives might not appear in the first pages of your search results.  Finding useful leads about archival material on the Internet is not as straightforward as finding information about the latest movie releases, but it is an excellent resource in discovering leads.

3) Search online databases.  Many archives are now cataloging their collections in WorldCat, where searches can be limited to “Archival Material.”  WorldCat is accessible to Drexel students and staff through the library's alphabetical list of electronic databases.  The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, which allows you to search the contents of a large number of archival repositories, is also available online.  Examples of other electronic databases with information and, in some cases, digital versions of archival materal include the Library of Congress: American Memory Project and In the First Person.  Other fee-based online resources also offer infromation about archival material; ask a reference librarian about these other databases.  It is important to note that none of the current online databases include a comprehensive list of all archival materials.

Note: The drawback to searching the Internet and online databases is that you might find a collection that you cannot use because of geographical limitations.  You might find a collection that you think would be perfect for your project, but what happens if it is located in an archive 3000 miles away?  Only a limited amount of primary source material has been microfilmed, published, or digitized for wide distribution.  To access archival materials, you normally must physically go to the original materials as most material in an archive is one of a kind and does not circulate like books in a library.  With that in mind, it is always a good idea, if you do not have the resources to travel, to think locally if you plan on utilizing primary sources. 

4) Ask the right people.  Talk with scholars who have written in your subject area.  Most scholars have inside knowledge of sources in their particular area of expertise.  Archivists are also a means to finding leads.  Many archivists not only will have knowledge of their own collection but also should have a general knowledge of the holdings in other area archives.  If the contents of their own collection will not be helpful, they might know other archivists for you to contact. 

For information about or assistance in locating archival materials, please contact the Drexel University archivist at archives@drexel.edu or 215-895-1757.