Research Guides: FDMA 2315: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Hoping to find people to interview? Newspaper databases can be a great way to not only learn about your subject from a primary source, but you can also identify people who "were there." Once you have names, you can start contacting them.

Santa Fe New Mexican
As an SFCC student, you have full-text access to the New Mexican going back to 1994.
New York Times
As an SFCC student, you have full-text access to the New York Times going back to 1985.
Other newspapers
The SFCC Library has full-text access to hundreds of other national newspapers. Try "NewsBank" or "Newsstand" to access other papers.

Log-In Troubleshooting Guide
Having trouble logging into our resources from off-campus? This guide may help.

SFCC LIbrary's DVD Collection

The library has thousands of DVDs in our collection. Search from the green Discover box on the library's homepage: Click "Advanced Search" and under Location, select DVDs.

DVDs check out for 1 week at a time.

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
As an SFCC student, you have access to thousands of streamed documentary films.

Find documentaries, newsreels and primary source materials quickly and easily using "Advanced Search."

Access the Films on Demand database
Click "Advanced Search" (toward the top)
Enter your search terms, then...
Under "Search Options" (see "Step 1. Select Type of Content"), in the "All Asset Types" drop-down menu, select what type of video you're looking for, such as Documentary Film or Newsreel or Primary Source.
Feel free to play around with the other limiters as well.
Click "Search" (all the way at the bottom right)

Did you know you can create custom clips from video found in Films on Demand?

Access the Films on Demand database; you'll first need to create an account.
Click "My Films" (upper right) -> Create an Account
Fill in the fields -> Create Account.
Once your account is created, select a film you'd like to take a clip from.
Below the viewing screen, click Segment.
Fill in the appropriate fields in the "Custom Segments" box.
Click "Create Segment"

You segment is now in your My Custom Segments folder, which you can access by clicking your name in the upper right, then My Films.

You can Share that clip or Embed its code into a presentation.

UC San Diego Library
UC San Diego's Library has a research guide that has quite a number of Open Web Film Archive links
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has several online Film and Video collections.
AP Archive
"AP Archive's collection contains over 1.7 million videos. The collection includes British Movietone's newsreel - arguably the world’s greatest newsreel archive."
Note: While this site is browsable to unregistered users, to do anything with the images, you will be required to sign up for an account.
Footage.net
"Footage.net is the world's premier online video stock footage search platform providing instant access to millions of online screening clips and text record from the world's top footage collections on a single site. "
Moving Image Archive
Download or listen to free movies, films, and videos. This library contains digital movies uploaded by Archive users which range from classic full-length films,
Prelinger Archives
Free online repository of over 60,000 "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films in the public domain.

Is your subject something that likely would have been covered by local or state news? Much of their footage is proprietary and covered under copyright; you likely will not find much on YouTube. Your best bet would be to try and contact that station. State who you are and what your intentions/interests are and see first if they even have the kind of footage you're looking for and if so, how to make arrangements to view it.