In addition to Wellesley's rich collections, the Boston area has many libraries and archives that are accessible to local researchers. Check their catalogs to locate potential items of interest and check the institutions' access policies prior to visiting.
The following nearby libraries are part of the BLC.
There are many libraries and archives who scan or photograph their documents and other sources and put them up online for you to use.
Here is a sampling of places you can go to find primary sources, depending on your time period and topic.
This doesn't represent everything out there for you, however. If you'd like to brainstorm more sources and places to look together, make an appointment with me!
Full-text articles from key journals in the humanities and social sciences, published from 1861 to the early 2000s, most of which are peer-reviewed.
Full text news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, historical photos, reviews, and advertisements from a premier British newspaper.
Dates: 1785-2014 CE
EEBO is a full text primary source archive of nearly every book published in English in the Early Modern period. It covers all subjects including literature, science, religion, politics, and more.
Dates: 1473-1700 CE
EEBO is a full text primary source archive of nearly every book published in English in the Early Modern period. It covers all subjects including literature, science, religion, politics, and more.
Dates: 1473-1700 CE
Contains every significant title printed in the United Kingdom in the 19th Century, along with thousands of important works from the Americas. Includes books, pamphlets, broadsides, and other printed works in English, Latin, German, Italian, French, and other languages.
Dates: 1701-1800 CE
Primary sources chronicling entertainment in the Victorian era, including music halls and theater, circuses and sideshows, spiritualism and magic, and the first moving pictures. Includes a 3D gallery of historical objects, video clips of optical toys, and music hall recordings.
Dates: 1718-1940 CE
Primary sources documenting representations and experiences of gender roles and relations, including pamphlets, speeches, newsletters, diaries, images, and more. About half of the materials from 1900-1950.
Dates: 1575-2014 CE
A primary source archive documenting social issues, charitable efforts, and living conditions of the Victorian era in Britain. Pamphlets, reports, photographs, and personal narratives offer insights into poverty, social reform movements, and philanthropic initiatives of the time.
Dates: 1834-1930 CE
Primary source pamphlets covering sociopolitical and economic aspects of 19th century Britain.
Dates: 1545-1900 CE
Primary sources documenting representations and experiences of gender roles and relations, including pamphlets, speeches, newsletters, diaries, images, and more. About half of the materials from 1900-1950.
Dates: 1575-2014 CE
Primary source interviews on everyday life and society in Britain through the Great Depression, World War II, and the beginning of the Cold War.
Dates: 1936-1967 CE
Archives from researchers as well as the personal records of everyday people concerning all aspects of sex, sexuality, gender, public health, protest and advocacy, the bulk from 1940-1990 CE.
Dates: 1800-2017 CE
Primary sources from the story of medicine around the following conflicts: American Civil War, Crimean War, World War I, Second Anglo-Boer War, World War II, and the Spanish Civil War. Documents include organizational papers, personal papers, diaries, ephemera, and more.
Dates: 1850-1949 CE