Research Guides: Living for Change: GSWS 0863: Use Primary Sources

Find Printed Primary Sources at Temple

Use the Library Search and enter keywords on your research topic.
Look for records in which the Subject includes the words Sources, Personal Narratives, Correspondence, or Diaries as a subheading. When you see these subheadings it means that you have found the record for a primary source located in the physical or online library.
You can also try using the terms Sources, Personal Narratives, Correspondence, or Diaries in Library Search along with your keywords.
An example subject heading for primary sources on the American Civil War is: United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources.
Try the subject links in the records for any useful items you find. These will take you to additional primary sources on the same topic.

Find Primary Sources at Temple Libraries: More Options

Temple University Libraries provide access to numerous primary-source history databases. The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), Urban Archives, and the Blockson Collection are all important archival repositories located on Temple's main campus. Several major in-house digitization efforts have resulted in the online availability of thousands of images and manuscripts from these collections, all of which are available through our Digital Collections search page.

Starting Places

Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window
Black Abolitionist Papers Contains writings and publications of African American activists against slavery, covering the period 1830-1865. The articles, documents, correspondence, proceedings, manuscripts, and literary works of Black abolitionists show the full range of their activities in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Germany.
Black Studies Center (BSC) This link opens in a new window
The Black Studies Center contains scholarly essays, periodicals, historical newspaper articles and reference books on Black Studies. It combines resources for research and teaching in Black Studies, including The Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, Black Studies Periodicals Database (formerly IIBP), Black Literature Index, and the Chicago Defender historical newspaper from 1912-1975.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 (Scholar's Edition) This link opens in a new window
Women and Social Movements in the United States brings together books, images, documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies, documenting women's reform activities and examines perspectives on women's social movements from 1600-2000. Also includes access to the publications of the federal, state, and local Commissions on the Status of Women.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender This link opens in a new window
Access guaranteed through May 2027
Archives of Sexuality and Gender provides primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender with material dating back to the sixteenth century,