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Primary Source Literacy at USC Libraries & Beyond Main MenuSpecial Collections at the USC LibrariesAn Overview of USC’s Special CollectionsRare BooksWhat Defines a Rare Book?A Short History of the (mostly Western) BookImportant Developments in the History of the BookArchivesWhat is an Archive?Analyzing Various Kinds of Primary SourcesElectronically Available Primary SourcesUSC's Digital LibraryResources for InstructorsTemplates and Lessons Plans for InstructorsMichaela Ullmanncf670998beabefae2ae5106a30c967cbaff52258
Databases containing Digital Primary Sources
1media/Adam Matthew.jpg2020-07-26T12:10:56-07:00Michaela Ullmanncf670998beabefae2ae5106a30c967cbaff52258373515image_header2020-07-26T12:36:44-07:00Michaela Ullmanncf670998beabefae2ae5106a30c967cbaff52258USC Libraries subscribes to a great number of databases which contain digitally available primary sources. You can find the complete list of databases USC provides you access to here.
Use the Search box to enter a keyword relevant to your research to see a list of results for databases that contain materials on your topic. Or use the Subject Area filter to narrow down your list of results by subject area first.
As databases are provided to us by various vendors, they can look slightly different each time and the navigation can be slightly different as well so you might need some time getting used to the database relevant to your research but database providers overall do a pretty good job of making their navigation user friendly. Often you may also find information on the database site explaining how to navigate the collections.
Having access to this wealth of electronic primary sources is fantastic for conducting your research as you have collections from around the world available at your fingertips. Just make sure to apply the same care as you do with physical primary source materials: reflect critically about the materials in front of you and look out for bias, privilege, and archival silences, and cite them correctly.
Header Image: Screenshot of Adam Matthew's database The Age of Exploration.
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1media/Second_part_of_the_northern_celestial_hemisphere_version1.jpgmedia/Governor_Jerry_Brown_and_Yvonne_Brathwaite_Burke_on_an_airplane_ca19671973_or_ca1979.jpg2020-04-29T17:34:21-07:00Michaela Ullmanncf670998beabefae2ae5106a30c967cbaff52258Electronically Available Primary SourcesTimothy Olshefski13USC's Digital Librarysplash2021-10-05T12:29:13-07:00Timothy Olshefskie9a282ff9fdae07d712988db7ce882ca33dc6b6d