Discovery Tools

Electronic discovery tools—catalogs and databases—can help you to identify sources for your research. Some point to print or archival sources you can access in a physical collection while others contain digitized or born-digital primary sources.

Catalogs at a Single Institution

Catalyst is the JHU library catalog. It contains all of the materials (print, online, microform, manuscript, and AV holdings) at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Peabody Library, Garrett Library, Friedheim Library at Peabody Conservatory, the libraries at SAIS (DC) and Washington-Rockville, and those stored off-site at the Library Services Center. Catalyst also shows materials in JScholarship, JHU's online institutional repository. Catalyst also provides access to digital sources in a variety of databases.

ArchivesSpace searches the libraries' collection guides for archival materials and manuscript collections.

Search Archive Finder or ArchiveGrid to find primary sources in other libraries and archives.

Catalogs Across Multiple Institutions

To search for primary sources across many institutions and archives, you can use catalogs like WorldCat, ArchiveGrid, and Archive Finder. These each search millions of records in institutions across the world.

WorldCat is a global catalog where you can simultaneously search across thousands of libraries for archival material, books, journal, microfilm, and other materials.

ArchiveGrid contains records for archival material--primary sources--from 1,000 institutions. The strongest concentration of collections are from the US, followed by Australia, and Canada, though collections from additional nations in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa are also included.

Archive Finder contains records for archival material--primary sources--from thousands of repositories in the US, United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Databases of Primary Sources

An increasing number of institutions are digitizing their primary source material. Newer materials may also be born-digital (such as emails or spreadsheets). There are many databases that contain digital primary source materials from multiple institutions collected around a region, theme, or time period. Some examples are Black Thought and Culture: African Americans to 1975, Gerritsen Collection--Women's History Online, 1543-1945, and Socialism on Film: The Cold War and International Propaganda.

Some databases are free, like the Digital Public Library of America and the September 11 Digital Archive. Others require a subscription. The library provides you with access to scores of subscription databases. If there is a database you would like to use that you are not sure JHU has, contact the history librarian.

The Primary Source Databases page lists the databases you have access to through JHU as well as recommended internet databases.