Research Guides: UMKC University History: Primary Sources

What are primary sources?

are firsthand accounts of a topic or event
have the character of origin or firstness
are not limited to unpublished materials or by publication format
are those sources which secondary sources interpret and upon which they are built

UMKC Finding Aids
Search across GLAMA, LaBudde Special Collections, Marr Sound Archives, and University Archives collections at UMKC
UMKC Digital Collections
Discover, access and use digitized materials held in the LaBudde Special Collections and Marr Sound Archives of the University of Missouri – Kansas City University Libraries. Collection topics include: Culture, History, Kansas City History, LGBT Community, Media & Broadcasting, Kansas City Jazz, Urban Planning, and Women.
Digital Sanborn Maps
Browse and search historical Sanborn Fire Maps for Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Louisiana. Sanborn Fire Maps helped fire insurance companies determine the risk of insuring particular properties. Researchers use these maps to study property and land use in U.S. towns and villages. Covers 1867-1970, but not all areas have maps for all dates. Fire maps include streets, landmarks, and building outlines.
MOSpace
Theses and dissertations written by graduate students at UMKC.
UMKC School of Law Institutional Repository
The UMKC School of Law Institutional Repository is an open-access collection of faculty scholarship, special collections, and relevant publications. The repository includes the Kansas City School of Law Pandex Collection and the Leon E. Bloch Library Sir Edward Coke Collection.

Jackson County Historical Society
Jackson County Historical Society's Digital History Database contains scanned photographs and archival records from the institution's holdings.
Johnson County JoCoHistory
JoCoHistory is a shared digital collection database with scanned historical materials related to Johnson County, Kansas. It contains scanned archival material from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County library, Johnson County Archives, Olathe Public Library, Kansas School for the Deaf, Lenexa Historical Society, Olathe Historical Society, Overland Park Historical Society, and the Shawnee Mission School District.
The Kansas City Public Library - Missouri Valley Special Collections
KC History includes research resources and digital collections from Kansas City Public Library's Missouri Valley Special Collections.
The State Historical Society of Missouri - Kansas City Research Center
The Kansas City Research Center of SHSMO holds unique materials related to the history and culture of Kansas City's metropolitan area, western Missouri, and the Midwest. Its collection topics include architecture and the built environment, minority communities, municipal government, religion, transportation, and more.

Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America collaborates with libraries and cultural organizations across the United States to make accessible millions of archival materials.
Library of Congress - Digital Collections
The Library of Congress Digital Collections include scanned maps, photographs, letters, diaries, newspapers, oral histories, sound recordings, and historic films.
JSTOR
Full articles from major research journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Coverage of most journals starts from the beginning and excludes the most recent three to five years. Also includes access to a broad range of archival collections of primary resources.