Hello everyone, for a while now, I have been trying to look for some historical documents, or photograph, or vintage film that I cant properly find without taking a while to finally find what I am looking for. I used to use google but then I started using DuckDuckGo because google just gives you advertisements and just some article that does not really help with what I am finding. While DuckDuckGo is easier to use and sometimes finds what I am looking for faster, I am still wondering if there is some type of search engine(s) that Historians use to easily find primary or really good secondary sources, because typically when I am reading a book about WWII or watch a historical video on YouTube, they have a lot of Primary sources like letters, photos, etc. And when I try and find such things, it takes me a while to actually find it. So I ask, is there some kind of secret search Engine that Historians use? Or is it that most people are having as much of a difficult time as me.
Thanks, Splat
My process is fairly straightforward: Bibliographies and Library catalogs.
If the book that has that primary evidence is reputable, they'll have a citation for the document in their bibliography. That should include either the shelfmark for the archive it's stored in or the published edition they are using. If it's the former, that should include where it's stored, and that'll tell you where to look. If it's the latter, that gives you something to search for. And, if you are looking for another secondary source, that'll give you another bibliography to look through for more sources!
From there, go find a local research/university library; they'll have a catalog online. You can see if they have the edition in their holdings. If you're not sure, go in and talk to a librarian! That's what they're there for!
Google Scholar can be helpful, LibGen can be helpful, but really, I've always had the best luck with looking through library catalogs.