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This guide brings together collections of military history for World War I (The Great War). These include library resources, links to official military history from governments, and websites that act as portals to gather related materials.
Books
To find books, begin with an Omni search by keyword/title/author. For help use: how to find books using Omni
Journal Articles
Begin with how to find journal articles using Omni. For help: Omni Search Tips
Key Databases:
- America History and Life (covers Canada and the US)
- Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America
- C19, The Nineteenth Century Index
- Canadiana
- Historical Abstracts (world wide, except Canada and the US)
- Libris Canadiana - provides access to Canadian periodicals of historical significance, including Maclean's Magazine, The Financial Post, The Monetary Times of Canada, Massey's Magazine, The Canadian Bookman, The Canadian Magazine, Saturday Night and The University Magazine.
Additional Databases:
Dissertations
Searching for primary sources
Search your topic using Omni to find primary sources (or reproductions) in our collection. Keyword searches that include the following terms will identify primary materials: diar* (for diary or diaries), correspondence, letter*, memoir, personal narratives, recollections, reminiscences, journal, sources.
Search tips:
- Browse the bibliographies and footnotes of secondary sources on your topic to help identify primary sources
- Useful e-book: History Beyond the Text : A Student's Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources
Historical Newspaper Databases
Primary Sources on the web
- Archives and Primary Sources Databases
- Archives of Ontario
- Digital Public Library of America
- Internet Archive
- Hathi Trust Digital Library
- Library and Archives Canada
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- National Archives (UK)
- New York Public Library Digital Collections
- Center for Research Libraries (CRL) -Carleton University is a member of the Center for Research Libraries consortium in Chicago, Illinois. It regularly acquires and preserves newspaper, journals, documents, archives and other traditional and digital resources for research and teaching. Search the CRL Catalog
Documents
- 20th Century documents 1900-1999
- EuroDocs: online sources for European history
- Internet history sourcebook: World War I
Military Records
- British Army nurses' service records 1914-1918
- Courts Martial of the First World War (Canadian Expeditionary Force)
- Prisoner of war interview reports 1914-1918 (UK)
- Service Files of the First World War, 1914-1918 – Canadian Expeditionary Force database search
War Diaries
Canada
- Online Exhibitions
- Canadian military journal
- Directorate of History and Heritage
- Official histories
- History... The First World War
- Canada and the First World War
Europe
France
Germany
United Kingdom
- BBC History World War I
- BBC News: "The Great War 80 years On"
- British Library - World War One
- Imperial War Museum - First World War
- National Archives: Britain 1906-1918
United States
Maps/Atlases/GIS
- British Army WW1 Trench Maps - includes excellent overview of structure and how to read the maps
- British First World War Trench Maps, 1915-1918
- The Great War: 100 Year Legacy of World War I
Images:
- Bibliothèque Numérique de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France has over 27,000 images and maps
- Canadian War Museum - Objects and Photos of the First World War
- Imperial War Museum (UK) has an extensive collection of over 45,000 images from the World War I period
- Photos of the Great War
- Story Galleries - A Brief History of Vimy (Veterans Affairs Canada)
- World War I in Photos (10-part series from The Atlantic that draws from archives of many nations)
Music:
- Popular Songs of World War I
- World War One Music and Songs includes lyrics and, in some cases, audio recordings
Writing Guides
- Essaying the past; how to read, write and think about history
- Writing History: a guide for students (print only)
