Standish Library: History: Primary Sources, Statistics, & Maps

Search for Primary Sources in the Siena College Library Catalog (Saint Search)

When searching for primary sources in Saint Search, WorldCat, or any library catalog, try adding the following terms to your search:

Sources
Narratives
Correspondence
Letters
Diaries
Speeches
Interviews
Archives

New York Heritage Digital Collections

The collections in New York Heritage represent a broad range of historical, scholarly, and cultural materials held in libraries, museums, and archives throughout the state. Collection items include photographs, letters, diaries, directories, maps, newspapers, books, and more.

Historypin

Historypin is a way for millions of people to come together to share glimpses of the past and build up the story of human history.

Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States - HSUS (Cambridge University Press)
Source for the quantitative facts of American history.
Finding Statistics
A guide for finding U.S. and international statistics.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are items created contemporaneously to the event or time period you are studying. First hand accounts created after the fact are also considered primary sources. Visit Making Sense of Evidence for strategies for analyzing online primary materials.

Examples include:

Speeches
Diaries
Autobiographies/Memoirs
Letters
Interviews
Images
Audio or Video Recordings
Newspaper Articles
Magazine/Periodical Articles (written at the time studied)
Archival Records/Logs/Data
Political/Legal Documents

Note that some items that began their lives as secondary sources may be used as a primary source for your research. For example, a 1950's textbook discussing the Civil War and Reconstruction would not be a primary source about the Civil War. However, it could be a primary source regarding attitudes towards African Americans during the Civil Rights Era. Check the Academic Web Resources for U.S. History tab of this guide for many additional sources of primary material.

Essay & General Literature Retrospective This link opens in a new window

American Eras Primary Sources: Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)
Primary sources including essays on events, publications, lifestyles and individuals important to the Civil War and Reconstruction Era in U.S. history.
Library of American Civilization

Maps

United Nations Cartographic Section
General, mission, peacekeeping, and thematic maps.
Davis Rumsey Historical Map Collection
The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North American and South American maps and other cartographic materials. Historic maps of the World, Europe, Asia, and Africa are also represented.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
Current and historical maps.
National Geographic Mapping
Printable and customizable current, thematic, and historical maps.
Maps of the French and Indian War
From the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
New York Public Library Digital Maps Collection
Over 1,000 maps of North America from the earliest printed portrayals to the close of the 19th century; multiple versions and editions allow for historical comparisons.
Library of Congress American Memory Maps Collection
U.S. and international historical maps.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Online Checklist provides a searchable database of the fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company housed in the collections of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress. The online checklist is based upon the Library's 1981 publication Fire Insurance Maps in the Library of Congress and will be continually updated to reflect new acquisitions.