Archives and Libraries
The original papers of many presidents, especially those before the twentieth century, are housed in different archives and libraries throughout the country and even internationally. This list of databases can help you find primary sources written by US presidents.
Archive Finder is an index of over 206,000 manuscript collections as well as a directory of primary source repositories in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland. Researchers can use it to determine whether a collection contains material useful to their work. Archive Finder is comprised of ArchivesUSA and the cumulative index to the National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the UK and Ireland (NIDS UK/Ireland).
ArchiveGrid is a database of archival finding aids from libraries, museums, and archives. It helps identify archival materials such as historical documents, personal papers, and family histories and where they are.
** Currently, this database can only be accessed when connected to the secure campus network (includes AU VPN). **
Digital Collections include digitized materials from analog archival collections and rare books in addition to born-digital materials from our collections. Digitized materials include photographs, documents, oral histories, and audiovisial materials originally recorded in analog formats or time-based media. Born-digital materials include resources created using digital tools such as digital recorders, cameras, or word processors.
Not all of the materials from the collections that make up University Archives & Special Collections are available digitally. We provide access to many of our popular collections in order to aid users as they utilize primary sources for research and educational purposes.
Declassified documents central to US foreign and military policy since 1945. Documents include presidential directives, memos, diplomatic dispatches, meeting notes, independent reports, briefing papers, White House communications, emails, confidential letters, and other secret materials.
The DDRS contains about 700,000 declassified documents from 1900 to 2008. These documents are from the U.S. presidential libraries and the National Archives, and deal with nearly every major foreign and domestic event.
This resource was purchased in part through the generous support of Ronald Hamowy and Clement Ho.
