Answered By: Gabe Gossett
Last Updated: Oct 10, 2022     Views: 231

There are many ways in which you might find primary sources through the Western Libraries, depending on your topic.  An excellent resource for students researching the 20th century are the American Decades reference books. The Bellingham Herald and New York Times are also available on microfilm in the main library.

If you are looking for primary sources about campus, local or regional history, consult the staff at Western Libraries' Archives & Special Collections programs. You may view this online tutorial for more information about Archives & Special Collections at Western.

There are also many other nearby repositories that may be useful, such as the NW Branch of the Washington State Archives (located in the Goltz-Murray Archives Building here on campus) or the Whatcom Museum's Photo Archives. Some useful resources are listed in this guide: "Resources for Researching Local and Regional History".

Other non-WWU resources that might be of use include Google Books, which includes the full text of many news magazines, or the Washington State Library's holdings of newspapers on microfilm.

Since it can be difficult to know which sources might be most appropriate for primary source research we recommend contacting a librarian or archivist for assistance.  (You can use the contact information on the right side of this page.)