Primary Sources - HIS413 - Bloom - Library at Shippensburg University

Finding archival collections & primary source materials

ArchiveGrid
This site is key tool to located archival collections worldwide. Produced by OCLC (the cooperative library vendor that produces the WorldCat database), it provides full catalog records (with extensive subject indexing), links to finding aids when available, and links to the repository website.
Archival Research Catalog (National Archives)
This online catalog provides access to records for physical collections held at the National Archives, as well as providing a search tool for archival materials that have been digitized.
Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science.
PA Digital
PA Digital is the Pennsylvania service hub for the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). They work with libraries, historical societies, museums, and related cultural heritage institutions in the Commonwealth to showcase their historical collections and resources through the DPLA portal.

WorldCat Advanced Search This link opens in a new window
The world's largest book database, WorldCat serves as a shared library catalog for 25,000+ libraries worldwide. Contains links to books, periodical titles, videos, internet resources, and other cataloged resources in libraries. It also contains selected collections of periodical articles. Access from on campus or off campus, with no ID required.

Google Book Search
The largest collection of electronic books. It includes both free e-books as well as snippets of books not available for free.
Internet Archive Text Archive
This collection features over 20 million freely available books and texts and "a collection of 2.3 million modern eBooks that may be borrowed by anyone with a free archive.org account"--website.
Digital Book Index
This site provides access to electronic books from many of the most important web e-book collections. The great value in this smaller selective site is that it includes texts from a wide range of digitization projects. Access is free but very brief registration is required.
Project Gutenberg
A collection of some 36,000+ electronic books in the public domain.
The Online Books Page
A collection of some 1+ million electronic books.
HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust Digital Library is a digital preservation repository that provides long-term access for public domain and in copyright content from a variety of sources, including Google, the Internet Archive, Microsoft, and in-house partner institution initiatives.