Research Guides: Chicanx-Latinx Studies: Locating Primary Sources

Finding Primary Sources Locally (and Beyond)

Below is a selected list of our primary source databases. For more primary source databases the Claremont Colleges Library subscribes to, go to this list of databases.

Special Collections at The Claremont Colleges Library
Special Collections is a treasure trove of primary sources covering a wide range of formats and time periods. Visit the Special Collections homepage to search and discover materials. Contact Special Collections for additional guidance.
Calisphere
University of California freely available digitized archive of California History. Includes all types of primary source materials including images. This is an example of a collection that is part of the Online Archive of California.
The Freedom Archives
The Freedom Archives contains over 10,000 hours of audio and video tapes which date from the late-1960s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements.
Library of Congress American Memory Project
"American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience."
Online Archive of California (OAC)
The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 200 contributing institutions including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and collections maintained by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses.

Latino American Experience: The American Mosaic This link opens in a new window
Provides a collection of 200 titles dating from 1985 to the present dedicated to the history and culture of Latinos. Featuring titles from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and a dozen other countries, these resources provide a wide range of viewpoints from diverse Latin American cultures.
Also includes some audio and video content, as well as historical newspapers published in Latin America and South Asia.
Language: English, Spanish

Primary Sources Databases

Border and Migration Studies Online This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good for providing background information on and insight into migration issues like migrant crises and refugee camps at key worldwide border areas.
Content type: Videos, books, images, correspondence, government documents, maps
Language: English, Spanish

Search for Newspapers

Latin American News Digest This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Access summaries and analysis of aggregated news coverage from across the Latin American region.
Content type: Newspaper articles
Language: English
Global Newsstream This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Discover news from the top news sources around the world.
Content type: Newspaper articles
Coverage dates: 1980-present
Includes titles such as, The Bangkok Post, El Norte, Financial Times, The Guardian, Jerusalem Post, South China Morning Post, The Daily Telegraph, Asian Wall Street Journal, and the BBC Monitoring series of publications.
Language: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Urdu‎, etc.
Keywords: News Stream International Newsstand Stand
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good for learning about global views of U.S. foreign and domestic policy through translated radio broadcast transcriptions, newspaper articles, and speeches from around the world.
Content type: Primary sources, radio broadcast transcriptions, newspaper articles, speeches, interviews
Coverage dates: 1941-1979
Language: English
Latin American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Explore full scanned images of Latin American newspapers from the 19th and early 20th century.
Content type: Newspaper articles
Coverage dates: 1805-1922
Includes access to Series I and II.
Language: Spanish, English, Portuguese, French

The Historic Mexican and Mexican American Press
The Historic Mexican and Mexican American Press collection documents and showcases historic Mexican and Mexican American publications published in Tucson, El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonora, Mexico from the mid-1800s to the 1970s. [OPEN ACCESS via The University of Arizona Library}

Locating Other Primary Sources for Chicanx-Latinx Studies

Tejana Voices (University of Texas Arlington)
Presents the personal recollections of 173 Tejanos and Tejanas and their struggle against racial discrimination in post-World War II Texas.
Collections @ Centro Library (Hunter College)
A research institute that collects preserves and provides access to library resources documenting Puerto Rican history and culture.
Latino Voices Digital Collection (Utah State University)
A collection of 45 local Latino/a oral histories. The interviews feature people originally from Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, California and yes, even Utah, who talk about family traditions, religion, jobs and interests, as well as challenges associated with relocation, cultural identity and cultural differences.
Cuban Heritage Collection - Digital Collections (University of Miami)
Includes digital manuscripts, photographs, letters, maps and other resources held in the University of Miami Libraries Cuban Heritage Collection.
Latino Cultural Heritage Digital Archives
Digitized collections from California State University Northridge Oviatt Library.