Finding Published Primary Sources: Books

Materials available at Williams

Use FRANCIS, the library catalog to find published primary sources available in Sawyer library. The following searches are the most efficient ways of locating primary sources in the library:

Memoirs, speeches, writings,or correspondence
Do an author search for the name (last name first) of the person
e.g.: King, Martin Luther Jr

For Autobiographical material
Do an advanced keyword search for personal narratives and your topic
e.g. personal narratives and nuremberg

For Papers of an organization, political party, agency, or association
Search do an author search on FRANCIS using the name of the party, agency or organization.
e.g National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

For interviews
Do a subject search for interviews and your topic
e.g. interviews and Vietnam If you don't find anything, keep search for interviews as a subject but add your topic as a keyword (instead of a subject).

For documentaries
Use the subjects documentary films or biographical films and limit to your topic
e.g. documentary films and iraq

Beyond FRANCIS and the Williams Collections

NExpress: from FRANCIS, you can repeat your search in the NExpress catalog and request materials from our partner libraries (Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, North Eastearn and Wellesley).

WorldCat: Catalog of library catalogs in the U.S. and around the world. The subjects found in FRANCIS can be used in Worldcat. Use our Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) system to request materials from Worldcat.

BLC Virtual Catalog: To request materials from the Boston Consortium Libraries. Does not include a subject search so you must search for a known item either by title or by author.

It is also helpful to search the catalogs of large research institutions to see what is available and then request materials through Interlibrary Loan. Here are some of the libraries recommended by Professor Valiani: