Resource Guides: Sociology: Archival materials

Primary source archives

Primary source documents provide first-hand accounts of historical events, social issues, and cultural practices. Primary source archives can help researchers understand social change and make sense of the present through the past. Examples of primary sources for studies in sociology include:

Letters and diaries
Speeches
Interviews
Government documents
Memoirs and autobiographies

Archives of Sexuality and Gender This link opens in a new window
Searchable primary sources on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world. Includes newspapers, manuscripts, government records, organizational papers, correspondence, and posters.
Ethnic Diversity Source This link opens in a new window
Culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America, 1923-present.
This full-text database is a dedicated resource covering the culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. It provides full text from a growing list of sources including peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies and primary source documents.

Newspaper archives

Current and historical newspapers can serve as primary or secondary sources. News articles are useful for research in sociology because they provide:

Information on trends in popular culture
Descriptions of community, cultural and political events
First- and second-hand accounts of current and historical social issues, such as gender equality and racial justice
Insight into how the media represents these events and issues

News & Newspapers This link opens in a new window
International, national, regional, and local papers including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, The Guardian, El Norte, Jerusalem Post, and South China Morning Post.
This database also includes exclusive access to 85 full-text newspapers from the world-leading news and information provider, Gannett, plus an additional 7 U.S. military titles will be available on a non-exclusive basis. Gannett newspapers span 30 states providing high quality reporting to their local and regional constituencies.
Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new window
Hiistorical newspaper database online, contains tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1607 to present.

Library

Sociology

Need help?

Need help?

Primary source archives

Newspaper archives

Georgia Tech Library