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Topic: Spanish Caribbean Resources Guide — Finding Primary Sources

Resources for Spanish Caribbean Research

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Please visit the new version of this page, updated in 2022. 

Finding Primary Sources

You can locate primary sources for your research project by searching the Library's General Search or WorldCat options on the library website. Use the following terms + your topic to find sources for your project.

  • Correspondence; Speeches; Diaries;  Description and Travel
  • Sources: used for collections of primary material and for some newly published sources
  • Personal Narratives: this heading is only used for narratives of war or disaster
  • Biography: This term is used for biographies, autobiographies and memoirs

 

Samples searches: "Fidel Castro" AND biography; Cuba AND "personal narratives"

Archival Resources

The Archives & Special Collection Department, located in the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, houses an amazing collection of primary sources (first person accounts, newspapers, personal and business papers, photographs) and rare books from Spain, Latin American and the Caribbean.

A selection of books, journals and archival collections from the Puerto Rican Collection. These content can be downloaded, save or print.

Newspapers are considered primary sources and we have several newspapers' databases that may contains news from/about Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.
Many archival collections have been digitized and are available in several databases and websites. Check out these resources to find information primary sources on these countries.

The Foreign Relations of the United States series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. These series document United States diplomatic and militaristic relationship with both Cuba and Dominican Republic (among the many other countries in the Caribbean). The site is organized by presidential administration, from the Truman to the Reagan Administration. These books are considered primary sources, so visit the site and check them out!

The web contains many online resources that contains primary sources. Check the list in this page to find primary sources in your topic.

The library has acquired through the years many microfilms copies of rare and hard to find newspapers from Latin American and the Caribbean, grey literature and other materials that are not available in print. Search the library catalog to find materials available in microfilm.

The collection includes newspapers from Cuban and Puerto Rico among many other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.