This guide is designed for new researchers who need to find articles, sources, and get started with research in topics related to historical and contemporary perspectives of the Asian American experience.
Select primary source collections
These digital collections of archival and primary sources provide first-hand accounts of events. The Primary source online A-Z guide contains a full list of digital primary source collections available through the UMN Libraries. Find a lists of databases covering current and historical U.S. executive, legislative, and judicial information United States Government Information Guide.
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Empire OnlineSearch original documents and primary sources for the study of 'Empire' and its theories, practices and consequences including exploration, colonization and more including British, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German points of view, as well as that of indigenous peoples from Africa, India and North America. The sections cover Cultural Contacts, 1492-1969; Empire Writing and the Literature of Empire; The Visible Empire; Religion and Empire; and Race, Class and Colonialism, c 1783-1969.
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Immigrations, Migrations and Refugees: Global Perspectives, 1941-1996 (FBIS)Translated and English-language radio and television broadcasts, newspapers, periodicals, government documents and books providing global insight on immigration in the mid-to-late 20th century.
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Indigenous Peoples Social Justice and CultureIncludes global coverage of recent and current digital-first primary sources such as blogs, magazines, videos, podcasts, tweets, newspapers, and other content created by and for Indigenous Peoples.
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ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowThe ProQuest Congressional Research Digital Collection (CRDC) provides full-text access to more than 5,000 Congressional committee prints published from 2004 to present and more than 23,000 Congressional Research Service reports published from 2004-present. Includes citations for bills, public laws, and Statutes at Large, and analytical abstracts of the documents. Also includes links to political parties and organizations and news sources. Coverage 1789-present.
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Race Relations in AmericaBased at Fisk University from 1943-1970, the Race Relations Department and its annual Institute were set up by the American Missionary Association to investigate problem areas in race relations and develop methods for educating communities and preventing conflict. Documenting three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights, this resource showcases the speeches, reports, surveys and analyses produced by the Department’s staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.
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Refugees, Migration, and Borders Social Justice and CultureIncludes global coverage from 1980-present day of authentic stories as they were originally told, drawing on podcasts, blogs, digital magazines, and interviews gathered from NGOs, non-profits, religious support groups, and government refugee boards, border service, and immigration offices.
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South Asia History and CultureSearch primary and secondary materials from South Asia, including books, magazines, reports, historical journals, video, audio, zines, newspapers, letters, diaries, and more, principally from the 19th Century to the present. In English and South Asian languages.
UMN Archives and Special Collections
The University of Minnesota houses several distinct and unique archives and special collections. To find out more information about a unit and what materials might reside in their collections, click through to their web pages.
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Ames Library of South AsiaLocated in Wilson Library and home to materials on Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, mainly covering the social sciences and humanities in English, vernacular, and European languages. The Ames Library includes a special collection of rare books and archives of manuscripts, photographs, maps, prints and drawings, mostly from the period 1600-1900.
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East Asian LibraryCollection, in Wilson Library, focused on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language materials, serving the instructional and research needs of the East Asian studies and more.
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Immigration History Research Center ArchivesThe Immigration History Research Center Archives documents immigration to the United States from 1850 to the present, with materials created largely by immigrants and social service providers.
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James Ford Bell LibraryThe Bell Library documents the history and impact of trade and cross-cultural contact around the globe prior to 1825 C.E. More than 15 languages are represented in rare books, manuscripts/archival collections, and maps.
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Kautz Family YMCA ArchivesThe YMCA Archives documents one of the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofits and its programs to support social welfare, spiritual and mental development, and physical education.
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Social Welfare History ArchivesThe Archives documents the history of social service programs, policies, and organizations; the evolution of the social work profession; and social reform movements.
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UMediaUMedia includes digitized collections from the University of Minnesota Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.
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University ArchivesUniversity Archives is the institutional home for historical documents, departmental collections, data, photographs, publications, and websites of the University, including faculty papers and research and administrative records.
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Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and MedicineLocated in the Phillips-Wangensteen Building on the East Bank campus, the Wangensteen Library for historical medical research houses 80,000 rare books, journals, and manuscripts in diverse medical and biological subjects spanning from approximately 1430 to 1930.
Last Updated: Jul 10, 2025 2:04 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/AsianAmericanStudies