Primary Source collections from ProQuest provide researchers at all levels with unparalleled historical resources, spanning a wide range of disciplines. By incorporating these rich resources — magazines, unique global films, classified records, historical articles and more researchers can enhance their understanding of significant events, political crises, diplomatic relations, and social issues. These collections not only support advancements in specific discipline studies but also contribute to broader discipline studies, such as popular culture, technology, and history. 

Learn More about Our Newest Primary Source Collections:  

Contemporary Global Issues in Video 

This new addition to the Global Issues Library covers recently made films that expand on existing themes found in the Global Issues Library collections. Encompassing international documentaries on humanitarian and environmental issues, this collection includes films on child trafficking, life in refugee camps to post-conflict support and LGBTQ+ rights; anti-corruption protests and indigenous people’s movements across the globe; and the impact of technology on international security. Environmental-themed films illustrate the devastating impact of environmental degradation on the planet.  

Access international documentaries to study humanitarian and environmental issues. 

 
Early European Books, Collection 21: Peace and Governance  

Drawn from four partner libraries in Europe, this collection features books, pamphlets and other shorter documents totaling over 5000 items and circa 250,000 pages. The early modern period was marked by tremendous social upheaval and recurrent warfare, including the Dutch Revolt, the English Civil War, and the Europe-wide Thirty Years’ War. This collection charts the rise and fall of European conflicts through history chronicles, personal accounts and peace treaties. 

Examine the social and cultural impacts of war through first-hand accounts, personal narratives, and historical records. 

 
History Vault: Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Early Cold War, 1946-1960 

This module provides formerly classified records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the key military advisers to the US president. These records offer a behind-the-scenes view of high-level military decision-making, covering topics such as Soviet expansion, Europe and NATO, the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the nuclear arms race, and Middle East developments including oil and Iran. 

Analyze the strategies, policies, and perspectives of high-level military decision-making. 

 
The House Beautiful Archive  

The archive of the US edition of House Beautiful, from its first issue in 1896 to the present. The oldest still-published US shelter magazine, House Beautiful not only records the history of interior design, but demonstrates how broader social and cultural trends – e.g. women’s roles, family life, new technologies, and consumer behavior – have manifested themselves in domestic settings for over 125 years. 

Examine the history of interior design and its relationship with broader social and cultural trends. 

 
Latinx Thought & Culture: The NPR Archive, 1979-1990 

This collection showcases three radio programs: the weekly Spanish-language Enfoque Nacional (1979–1988), the daily English-language Latin File (1988–1990), and the weekly Spanish-language Panorama Hispano — available for the first time in a searchable database as digitized audio with transcripts. They focus on Latinx issues related to politics, sociology, human rights, the arts and more with interviews of key figures and news reporting by a new generation of Latino/a journalists at the time. 

Explore the cultural, social, and political contributions of Latinx individuals and communities. 

 
The VIBE Archive 

This archive consists of the full run of VIBE magazine, the U.S. magazine of record for hip-hop culture from 1993–2014. Founded by Quincy Jones, VIBE not only offered influential reporting and news about rap, hip-hop, and R&B music but more broadly represented the associated urban youth culture. It is renowned for its pioneering role in establishing mainstream coverage of this culture and for raising the profile of many major hip-hop and R&B artists. 

Study the history and evolution of hip-hop culture and its impact on youth culture.