Primary Sources
Books - Collections of Documents or Images.
To find books on a specific topic, use the Library Catalog Advanced Search,
and select the Subject option.
To locate primary sources, add terms such as Sources, Correspondence, Diaries, Personal narratives, Oral history,
or Interviews to your subject search.
Example: Searching by Subject for 'immigration' and in Any Field for 'Oral History'.
For materials not available in Milner Library, use the “All I-Share Libraries” option.
Materials from I-Share libraries may also be requested.
To search for books and other materials in libraries worldwide, use WorldCat .
Newspapers
Milner Library provides access to newspapers in full text online and on microfilm.
The microfilm for most newspapers is located on Floor 2 in the southeast corner.
Microfilm of newspapers may also be borrowed from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.
1. New York Times.
Historical New York Times (Online) (1851-2020).
2. Chicago Tribune Online. (online) 1989 – present.
Historical Chicago Tribune (online). 1849-2014.
3. Chicago Defender. 1909-2010 online.
4. Historical Washington Post. (online). 1887 - 2006.
5. Newspaper Source.
Database containing indexing for 400 national, state and local papers with full text of many articles.
6. Nexis Uni (formerly Lexis-Nexis).
Full text database includes coverage of U.S. and international newspapers, wire services, and transcripts of radio and TV news broadcasts. Years of coverage vary by specific publication.
7. Newspapers.com Illinois Collection.
Contains full text of Bloomington Pantagraph (1848 - 1926) and other Illinois newspapers.
Dates of coverage vary for individual newspapers.
8. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (online) 1874 - 2003.
9. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
Full text for some 3000+ newspapers from 1836-1963.
Popular Magazines
Popular magazines, such as Time, Newsweek, Nation, New Republic, etc., may be good sources of advertisements and articles from a specific time period. Most popular magazines are indexed in Readers’ Guide Abstracts. Check this database first to identify articles published on your topic. Note that magazines from earlier years may be in storage or on microfilm.
New Republic Archive (November 1914 - December 2010)
Time Magazine Archive (March 1923 - December 2000)
Life Magazine Archive (November 1936 - December 2000)
Autobiographies, Letters, Diaries, Interviews
Material written by a specific individual, such as autobiographies, letters and diaries, or interviews of an individual
may be excellent primary sources. To determine if Milner Library has these materials, search in the Library Catalog or All I-Share Libraries under the name of the person as an author, or under a group of people, or under an event.
