Librarian
Getting started
There will be resources in the Lehigh Libraries' collections that may be useful as you get started in primary source research, so I encourage you to check ASA, the Libraries' catalog. Using medic* in a subject search will retrieve resources with subjects like medic, medical and medicine. You may want to combine terms using the Boolean operator AND, for example, medicine AND history as a subject search. In addition, I suggest that you add the following search terms to your search to get to primary source material:
- manuscripts
- microfilm
Those terms are also good to add to an Internet search. When searching Google for Internet resources, consider using the following tips:
- Add words to your search like archive and exhibition. These will help to identify digital archives and exhibits that may have useful records.
- Limit your search to government (gov) or educational (edu) websites by adding either site:gov or site:edu to your search.
- Remember that Google has search engines for specific countries. Consider using the Google search engine for other countries. Wikipedia has a fine list of Google domains and Internet & country domains.
The books listed below are examples of what you can find in ASA and offers interesting insight .
Medical Progress and Social Reality by ISBN: 9780791448045Publication Date: 2000-10-05An anthology of nineteenth-century literature about medicine and medical issues.
Medicine, Literature and Eponyms by ISBN: 0894642774Publication Date: 1989-08-01This is an encyclopaedia of medical names derived from literature, including mythological, scriptural, fictional prose and poetry, children's fables, the performing arts, and comic strips. More than 350 eponyms are collected in the book.
There are also journals that will be of use:
- Literature and MedicineA journal published by Johns Hopkins University Press.
Lehigh subscription databases: These databases may be useful to you in your research.
- British Periodicals I - IV This link opens in a new windowThe two collections cover the late 17th to early 20th centuries and consist of the full text of more than 460 early British periodicals and journals.
- ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new windowProvides a search interface for primary source material held in archives, special collections, and manuscript collections around the world.
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspaper Digital Archive This link opens in a new windowCover-to-cover full-text contents for hundreds of 19th century U.S. papers, 1800-1899.
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new windowDigitized versions (usually from microfilm copies) of newspapers from most American states, some with many issues and some with only a few.
- New York Times (Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new windowA full-image archive that includes the entire historical run of The New York Times, since 1851.The database delivers every page of every issue from cover to cover, with full-page and article images in downloadable PDF.
- African American Newspapers: 1827-1998 This link opens in a new windowAccess to approximately 270 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience.
- Early American Newspapers, Series II, 1758-1900 This link opens in a new windowOffers more than 200 significant 18th and 19th-century newspapers, focusing on the period between 1820 and 1860, when the number of American newspapers rose dramatically.
- Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new windowExtensive source of historical quantitative data about the U.S. in downloadable and customizable form.
Internet Resources: These websites may be useful in your research. They are not Lehigh Libraries' resources, so the support we can offer if you run into problems will be limited, but please consult a librarian if you run into difficulties.
- British History OnlineDigital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust.
- Google News ArchiveLook under Archive Search Help for tips on searching this archive.
- FamilySearch WikiA wiki devoted to genealogical research. It has tips and tools for locating and using the resources of 244 countries.
Source Types
When evaluating information, it is useful to identify if it's a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary source. By doing so, you will be able recognize if the author is reporting on his/her own first hand experiences, or relying on the views of others.
| Source Type | Examples |
| Primary A first person account by someone who experienced or witnessed an event. The original document has not been previously published or interpreted by anyone else. |
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Secondary |
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Tertiary |
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