Research Guides: Archives for Historical Research: Home

Preliminary Research

We recommend using these resources to help identify archives which hold materials related to your topic.

WorldCat This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive online catalog of library holdings. Lists books, journals, maps, recordings, films, scores, and other materials located in public, academic, corporate, school and specialized libraries all over the world. Check Worldcat for holdings of material that are not available at Princeton. Available items may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new window
Index to finding aids and other descriptive information about the holdings of manuscript and archival collections in libraries and research institutions throughout the world.

SNAC - Social Networks and Archival Context
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) is an online project for discovering, locating, and using distributed historical records in regard to individual people, families, and organizations.
National Archives Discovery
Access records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 other archives in the UK.
Archives Portal Europe
Archives Portal Europe provides you a single access to find, browse and discover information on archives about Europe held by thousands of cultural heritage institutions from more than 30 countries.

Published Works on a Topic

Search the bibliographies of books on your topic. They will often give you a detailed list of relevant archives. Be expansive in your search. Consider not only the important works on your topic, but also:

biographies
related topics (e.g., if you’re studying labor history, also review works on socialism, economic history, specific industries)
You can “reverse engineer” to expand your bibliography: if you identify an archival source, search the name of the collection in Google Books (“Jane Addams papers")

Biographical Dictionaries

There are a number of biographical dictionaries for different countries around the world. Many of these provide lists of archival sources for important historical figures. This is not an exhaustive list.

American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
Authoritative bios of more than 19,000 prominent people who lived in what is now the United States from the Colonial Period to the present. Everyone included is deceased. Includes bibliographic data on publications by and about these individuals. Search by name orvarious characteristics including gender, ethnicity, occupation, dates. 17th Century+
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
Illustrated collection of over 57,000 authoritative biographies of people who shaped the history of Great Britain, from the 4th century BC to those who have died in the previous few years.
Dictionary of Irish Biography This link opens in a new window
Most comprehensive and authoritative biographical dictionary yet published for Ireland. Contains signed biographical articles which describe and assess the careers of subjects in all fields including politics, law, religion, literature, journalism, architecture, painting, music, the stage, science, medicine, engineering, entertainment and sport.
Dictionary of German Biography This link opens in a new window

Biographical Dictionaries in Print

Dizionario biografico degli Italiani
Call Number: CT1123 .D5
Publication Date: 1960-
Neue Deutsche Biographie by Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Historische Kommission Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: CT1053 .xN49
ISBN: 3428001818
Publication Date: 1953-01-01
Dictionnaire de biographie française
Call Number: CT143 .D5
Publication Date: 1933-
African American National Biography by Henry Louis Gates (Editor-In-Chief); Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (Editor-In-Chief)
Call Number: E185.96 .A4466 2013 - African American Studies Reading Room
ISBN: 9780199920778
Publication Date: 2013-03-15

Specialized Catalogs and Directories

Many archives and rare book libraries publish directories detailing their holdings. Princeton University Library has collected many of these. Ones we do not hold can be requested from Interlibrary Loan.