Special Collections Librarian
Finding Primary Sources
Where can I find primary sources?
Original documents can be found in a variety of places, from library, archive, and museum collections, to government websites, online databases, newspapers, and even your family records.
Databases available through the TMU Library
- Archives of Sexuality and Gender This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
The Archives of Sexuality and Gender from Gale provides a significant collection of primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender. With material dating back to the sixteenth century, researchers and scholars can examine how sexual norms have changed over time, health and hygiene, the development of sex education, the rise of sexology, changing gender roles, social movements and activism, erotica, and many other interesting topical areas. This growing archival offers rich research opportunities across a wide span of human history. - Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Black Studies Center brings together essential historical and current material for researching the past, present and future of African Americans, the wider African Diaspora, and Africa itself. It is comprised of several cross-searchable, component databases, which include: - Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Black Studies Center brings together essential historical and current material for researching the past, present and future of African Americans, the wider African Diaspora, and Africa itself. It is comprised of several cross-searchable, component databases, which include: - Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Bearing witness to what many scholars consider the three most significant events in world history – The American Revolution, The French Revolution and The Industrial Revolution – this resource features: Full-text search capabilities; Canonical titles of the period as well as contemporary works that analyze and debate those titles; Works by both well-known and lesser-known authors. Toronto Metropolitan has both original ECCO and ECCO 2. - Eighteenth Century Journals This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This database brings together journals printed between 1693 and 1799 illuminating all aspects of eighteenth-century social, political and literary life. They offer effective coverage of the important issues of the period, and are invaluable to the study of all aspects of the eighteenth century, including crime, sport, advertising, the theatre; fashion; politics, revolution; agriculture; social issues and society life. - English Historical Documents This link opens in a new windowEnglish Historical Documents Online contains over 5,500 indexed and fully searchable primary documents from 500 to 1914. This includes American Colonial Documents, which was previously out of print. The online version of the standard series of primary source documents in British history, conceived in wartime and with volumes published since 1953, can also be found here.Sources include government and cabinet proceedings, military dispatches, newspaper articles, pamphlets, personal and official letters and diaries. It covers political and constitutional topics and social, economic, religious and cultural history.
- Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The Fortunoff Archive currently holds more than 4,400 testimonies. The Fortunoff Archive and its affiliates recorded the testimonies of willing individuals with first-hand experience of the Nazi persecutions, including those who were in hiding, survivors, bystanders, resistants, and liberators. Testimonies were recorded in whatever language the witness preferred, and range in length from 30 minutes to over 40 hours (recorded over several sessions). - Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Nineteenth Century Collections Online is a multi-year global digitization and publishing program focusing on primary source collections of the long nineteenth century, with archives releasing incrementally beginning in spring 2012. - North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
North American Women's Letters and Diaries includes the immediate experiences of 1,325 women and 150,000 pages of diaries and letters.
Historical Newspapers & Magazines
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Calgary Herald, 1883-2010 This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The Calgary Herald is the largest and oldest daily newspaper in Alberta. Its first publication was as a mining and ranch weekly in 1883 at the height of Western Expansion and the Nation Building period. The coverage gives insight into Canadian history in the early 20th century and important reporting of international, national, provincial, and local events. Other notable coverage includes the first Calgary Stampede in 1912 and the development of the petroleum industry in Alberta and throughout Canada.
Coverage: 1883 - 2010 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Globe and Mail This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Coverage: 1844 - 2020 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Montreal Gazette, 1785-2010 This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The Montreal Gazette is Montreal’s only surviving English language newspaper, as well as the oldest daily still in print in all of Canada. Originally founded as The Gazette, the paper offers much insight into Canadian history in the late 19th Century as well as important coverage of international, national, provincial, and local events. Coverage includes past events of current historical landmarks such as the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, and the Old Port of Montreal. The paper gives insight into the commercial, social, and cultural life of the future city of Montreal.
Coverage: 1785 - 2010 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Coverage: 1851 - 2020 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Times of India This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Coverage: 1838 - 2011 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Toronto Star This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Coverage: 1894 - 2021 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Coverage: 1889 - 2012 - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Washington Post, The This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Coverage: 1877-2007 - Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
An archival research resource comprising the backfiles of leading women's interest consumer magazines. Coverage ranges from the late-19th century through to 2005 and these key primary sources permit the examination of the events, trends, and attitudes of this period. Among the research fields served by this material are gender studies, social history, economics/marketing, media, fashion, politics, and popular culture.
Creative Commons License
This guide has been created by the Toronto Metropolitan University Library and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License unless otherwise marked.
