Modern History - HSC

Resources for HSC Modern History and History Extension

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.

All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.

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Newspapers and primary sources

What is a primary source?

Primary sources provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic or question under investigation.

They are usually created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later.

 - Yale University - Primary Sources at Yale

Why use newspapers and primary sources?

Our newspaper and primary source eresources are an easy way to find :

  • Older newspaper articles written at the time events were happening   
  • Current articles about past events and how the events are written about in the current context
  • Original documents such as letters and diaries written at the time events were occurring 

Your search terms and strategy may be different in these databases:

  • Primary sources are written from the perspective of events as they were occurring - not by the names we now know (eg. Boxer Rebellion, Easter Rising)
  • Searching by a person's name or a place can be effective or try using terms such as 'hostilities' or 'uprising'
  • Selecting a date range is essential

Primary source databases: Newspapers and more

Other primary source databases and resources

Primary sources

Use the new catalogue to find digitised primary sources in our Digital Collections

  • Use the Format drop-down to select what kinds of items you are looking for
  • The results will contain records with a digitised image of the item 
  •  Collection items which have been digitised include photographs, paintings, letters and diaries

Trove