Recently, the library acquired a new database – Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries

Agnes Scott Library's own Carl Beck (Night Building Monitor) has recorded an oral history of his experience in World War II, accessible via the library's new database!

Online. This database contains primary source materials from the 1550s to the early 2000s. Examples include such items as letters from Mary, Queen of Scots; letters from Abigail Adams during the American Revolution; and interviews with coast guardsmen about the coast guard’s response to September 11, 2001.

You can browse the database by date, place, historical event, personal event, and more.

In some cases, the database provides images of original documents, audio recordings of interviews, or even video recordings of interviews!

The database includes the following collections:

• American Civil War: Letters & Diaries
• British and Irish Women’s Letters & Diaries
• North American Women’s Letters & Diaries
• North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries & Oral Histories
• Oral History Online

Ask a librarian if you need help searching this database or if you need ideas for searching for other kinds of primary sources! Happy searching!