LibGuides: Primary Sources Home: Trible Library

Finding Primary Sources in the Trible Library Catalog

The online catalog is a search engine of the print and media resources owned by the library.
Suggested terms to look for include - diary, diaries, letters, papers, documents, documentary correspondence.

KEYWORD SEARCHING

Keyword Search - civil war diary (limited to books)
Click the link to see a list of results
Keyword Search - Lincoln letters
As you see in this one - you don't always get what you expect. It picks up the word Lincoln anywhere, including Lincoln, Nebraska or other people who also have that last name. Some things to help with this might be adding the first name Abraham, using the word correspondence, or trying a subject search

SUBJECT SEARCHING

Search by Subject for specific people or events, then scan the results for keywords such as correspondence, sources, personal narratives, speeches, pamphlets, etc.

Subject Browse - United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
If you scan through the list you will see sub-headings such as: African Americans, Causes, etc.
Subject Search: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
You can find the subject search on the Advance Search page of Primo. If you use "Subject contains" you can go a bit broader with the search. After that try limiting with another keyword such as sources, documents, or correspondence.

Tip: Subject searches for people should be formatted as last name first name (with or without a comma)

Subject Browse - Lincoln Abraham
You can see a subheading for Correspondence - you will have fewer sources than in the keyword search and it the results are more specifically focused. A disadvantage would be if there wasn't a subject at all for a book or if correspondence wasn't added as a subheading, you might miss some titles. Depending on your needs you may find doing a keyword search more helpful.
Subject Search: Lincoln Abraham
You can find the subject search on the Advance Search page of Primo. If you use "Subject contains" you can go a bit broader with the search. After that try limiting with another keyword such as sources, documents, or correspondence.

AUTHOR SEARCHING

Search for specific people that you are aware of that were involved in the event, knew the person, or for the person himself as an author

Not everything a person writes is necessarily a primary source - you are writing a paper, but it wouldn't be considered a primary source, so you would still need to look through the results and evaluate the source.

Tip: Author searches should be formatted as last name first name (with or without a comma)

Author Browse - Lincoln Abraham
Click the link to see a list of results
Author Search - Lincoln, Abraham
This gives you a broader search which can be helpful or overwhelming depending on the topic. It can help you find materials where the editor is listed as the main author rather than the actual person who wrote the material.

Suggested terms to look for include - diary, diaries, letters, papers, documents, documentary or correspondence.

Combine these these terms with the event or person you are researching. (example: civil war diary)

Also search by subject for specific people and events, then scan the titles for those keywords or others such as memoirs, autobiography, report, or personal narratives.

An additional option is to do a search on a topic and use the "Resource Type" limiter on the left side of the results and choose the option "Primary Sources" - please note this is extremely limiting as most primary source materials are not marked in records with this resource type and you will miss seeing a large number of useful items.