Robert Dalton
Librarian for History
Davis Library
rdalton@email.unc.edu
(919) 962-1151

Tommy Nixon
Librarian for English/Comparative Literature
Davis Library
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
(919) 962-1151

Through the Carolina BLU Delivery Service, you can request to have books and articles available at any of the UNC-CH campus libraries, as well as books and articles requested through interlibrary loan, delivered to the campus library most convenient to you.

WorldCat is an "electronic union catalog" composed of millions of catalog records showing the holdings of several thousand libraries. You can search WorldCat for primary source materials held by these libraries in several formats: print, microfilm, and electronic. Also, some libraries create catalog records for useful websites, including those containing digitized primary sources.

In searching WorldCat, you can use those same terms for primary sources that are used in searching UNC library's catalog. See the menu item labeled "Finding Primary Sources at UNC" at the top of this page for more information on primary source keywords.

Follow these steps to begin searching for primary sources in WorldCat:

• Open WorldCat
• Enter your topic word(s) in the first search box.
• Enter an appropriate keyword such as "sources" or "diaries" in the second box.
• Change the second drop-down box to "Subject" if you want.

Note the "Limit Type to" options below the search boxes. You can limit to "Archival collections" for instance, or "Internet Resources" for digital collections.

Some of the results will be for electronic books and databases to which UNC may not have access. But many records will be through freely available websites that may be useful. Just follow the links in the catalog records.

Search engines are very useful in locating specific primary source documents. If you use Google, enter the names of specific documents in quotation marks.

• "war powers resolution"
• "Freedom of Information Act"

For broader searches, add primary source keyword terms, such as documents, primary sources, or papers to your search.

• "World War II" "primary sources"
• "FDR" "speeches"

Many archival institutions put finding aids, or guides to their collections on the web. They also may have some of their collections digitized, and available online.

ArchiveGrid serves as a single point of entry that provides online access to descriptions of archival collections held by thousands of libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives worldwide. It allows users to discover information about primary source materials- both personal papers and corporate records- faster and easier than is possible in general search engines on the web. Off-campus access is limited to UNC faculty, students, and staff.

Archival Research Catalog
The Archival Research Catalog (ARC) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can be used to search a subset of NARA documents that are available online. The tips page offers searching advice by subject area. Select the yellow button to open ARC and click the checkbox to limit to "Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies."

Primary Source MediaGuides, part of the Gale Group, has constructed a very large library of microfilm sets of primary sources materials covering the humanities and social sciences. This website provides indexing to these collections, many of which are available at UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, and North Carolina State University.

Local Special Collections in the area include:

• Duke University Archives
• Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library
• North Carolina State University Special Collections
• North Carolina State Archives
• North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online)