Primary sources are written sources or artefacts created by first-hand witnesses and/or those alive when a particular historical event took place, including ancient texts, diaries, correspondence, art, architecture and other objects. You will need to access primary sources as part of your research for projects or your dissertation. Many different types of primary source materials are available online, either via online archives to which the Library subscribes, or websites which provide free online access. In addition, the University holds various physical primary source materials, ranging from the Record Society publications to the University of Reading's Special Collections Service. These sources are described in more detail on this page.
Video material including documentaries, interviews, performances, news programmes and newsreels covering a variety of events and themes.
Archives Unbound contains more than 250 collections covering: African American studies; American Indian studies; Asian studies; British history; Holocaust studies; LGBTQ studies; Latin American and Caribbean studies; Middle East studies; political science; religious studies; and women’s studies.
Full-text of dozens of national, regional, and local 19th century British newspapers reflecting the social and political developments of the time. We have access to Parts I and II, covering the years 1800-1900.
Gives access to the searchable full-text of hundreds of periodicals from the late 17th to the early 20th centuries.
A freely available database of over 50,000 sound recordings from the British Library Sound Archive.
Contains facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
The complete digital edition of the Daily Mail containing full facsimile images of specific articles or complete pages. Covers 1896 to 2004,
Features and articles from the Daily Mail. Covers 1996 to the present day.
Map data of Great Britain. Includes Ordnance Survey, historic, geological and environmental map data and aerial imagery.
A two part registration is required to use Digimap:
1. Connect to Digimap using the link above and complete a registration form
2. Accept the licence agreements associated with each collection
You will need to re-accept the licence terms annually, in August of each year.
Edina's Digimap registration pages give more information and guidance. Please pay particular attention to the Privacy Notice.
This resource gathers over 50 large collections of declassified government documents on US foreign and military policy from 1945 to the present day. It includes bibliographies, glossaries, chronologies and scholarly overviews.
Access to older issues of The Economist. It covers every issue since its inception in1843 to 2020.
Empire Online provides access to manuscripts, printed, and visual primary and secondary source material for the study of Empire and colonialisation worldwide, spanning the last 500 years.
Descriptions of early books printed in Great Britain or any of its dependencies in any language, as well as materials printed in English anywhere else in the world.
Online access to features and articles published in the Financial Times. Covers 1888-2016
This resource has been replaced. Please see Gale Primary Sources for the new product.
The complete digital edition of The Guardian and The Observer containing full facsimile images of specific articles or complete pages. The entire newspaper is captured, with all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching. The Guardian covers 1821-2003, and The Observer covers 1791-2003.
The Guardian is a British daily newspaper covering the latest news, sport, business, comment and analysis. Includes print and online content. Covers August 1992 to the present day.
Full-text access to The Independent Historical Archive from 1986 to 2016.
Full-text access to The Independent from 2004 to the present day.
Archive of this important international newspaper, known for its objective and clear coverage. It covers 1887 to 2013.
Audio files of recordings relating to news and current affairs from 1973 to the mid-1990s.
Mass Observation Online gives an insight into everyday life in Britain from 1937 until the mid-1950s. It contains original manuscript and typescript papers created and collected by the Mass Observation organisation, as well as printed publications, photographs and interactive features.
Primary source material covering the movement of peoples from Great Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe and Asia to the New World and Australasia. Mostly covers 1800 to 1924. Includes letter collections, travel journals, diaries and oral histories from migrants.
Digitised versions of more than 65,000 first editions from the 19th century, covering philosophy, history, poetry and literature.
Search across Picture Post from its first issue in 1938 to its last in 1957 to find full colour digitised versions of the originals.
Political Extremism and Radicalism is a compilation of rare and unique archival collections covering a wide range of fringe political movements. It has been sourced from distinguished libraries and archives across the world. It covers both far-right and radical left political groups, from the 1900s to the 2010s.
We have access to Part 1: Far-Right and Left Political Groups in the U.S., Europe, and Australia in the Twentieth Century.
Provides access to all published volumes of Punch. This resources is particularly useful for 19th and 20th century political and social history.
This resource provides materials on feminism (covering the period 1776-1928) published by Taylor & Francis. It includes primary and secondary sources, such as full books, selected chapters, and journal articles, as well as thematic essays.
The complete digital edition of The Sunday Times containing full facsimile images of specific articles or complete pages. The entire newspaper is captured, with all articles, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching. Covers 1822-2016.
Archive of this important British newspaper. Covers 1855-2016. Includes The Sunday Telegraph from 1961.
The complete digital edition of The Times (London) containing full facsimile images of specific articles or complete pages. Covers 1785 to 2014
Historic House of Commons Parliamentary Papers including Command Papers; Accounts; Bills; Hansard; Reports of Committees; and Reports of Commissioners. There are also older papers from the House of Lords.
Covers the years 1877-2004. The complete digital edition, containing full facsimile images of specific articles or complete pages.
We have access to two collections: BAAS Collection and Royal College of Physicians Part I.
Contains facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Gives access to the searchable full-text of hundreds of periodicals from the late 17th to the early 20th centuries.
Empire Online provides access to manuscripts, printed, and visual primary and secondary source material for the study of Empire and colonialisation worldwide, spanning the last 500 years.
Descriptions of early books printed in Great Britain or any of its dependencies in any language, as well as materials printed in English anywhere else in the world.
References for printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.
Contains the full text or page images of over 350,000 books published in England before 1900. Includes ECCO (Eighteenth Century Collections Online), EEBO (Early English Books Online), and Nineteenth Century Books from the British Library Collection.
The full-text facsimile reproductions of little known material from archives across the UK. Some of the women featured include Sarah Cowper, Mary Evelyn and Katherine Philips. The content of the manuscripts is varied and includes letters, biography, drama, notebooks, sermon notes, travel writing and much more.
This collection includes more than 1000 pamphlets, proclamations, newsbooks and newspapers from the 17th and 18th Century. It covers the years 1600-1800 and includes material from England, Ireland, Scotland and some papers from British colonies in the Americas and Asia.
Search this resource simultaneously with other archive collections on Gale Primary Sources.
Historic House of Commons Parliamentary Papers including Command Papers; Accounts; Bills; Hansard; Reports of Committees; and Reports of Commissioners. There are also older papers from the House of Lords.
We have access to two collections: BAAS Collection and Royal College of Physicians Part I.
Contains facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Contains the full text or page images of over 350,000 books published in England before 1900. Includes ECCO (Eighteenth Century Collections Online), EEBO (Early English Books Online), and Nineteenth Century Books from the British Library Collection.
E-books published by Manchester University Press. Includes the following collections: Manchester History of Medicine; Manchester Medieval Sources; Manchester Shakespeare.
Full-text and translation of the meetings of the English Parliament from Edward I to Henry VII, covering the years from 1272 to 1504.
We have access to two collections: BAAS Collection and Royal College of Physicians Part I.
The University’s Special Collections are available to all students in the University. The collections include rare books, manuscripts, records, letters, photographs, maps and drawings. Use the search box below to find specific items on the Enterprise catalogue.
The Special Collections Service is based on the London Road campus, in the same building as the Museum of English Rural Life. Items from the Special Collections cannot be borrowed, but they can be consulted in the reading room. You’re advised to plan ahead and contact Special Collections prior to your visit, so that the material is ready for you for when you arrive.
The following collections are relevant to students of History:
The following collections are relevant to History of Art students:
If you would like to use Special Collections for your dissertation, see the Dissertation Subject explorer for your subject for example topics.
When searching beyond our Library, the following online sources may be useful.
If you are looking for records kept overseas, try the following sites.