LibKey Nomad
Helpful Hints
When working in an Archive, note the following information to include in your citation:
- Box number
- Folder number
- Collection name
- Author or photographer
- Relevant dates
- If referencing clippings, photocopies, or scans from publications, the name of the publication copied/clipped from is required
Chicago and other citation styles follow the National Archives citation requirements, found in this helpful document created by the National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/files/publications/general-info-leaflets/17-citing-records.pdf
Chicago: Archival Material
Elements to include (Rule)
Author (if applicable) / Title of the item / date of the item / item number (if applicable) / series title (if applicable) / series number (if applicable) / name of the collection (if applicable) / collection number (if applicable) / name of the depository or archive / location of depository (if applicable) / URL or DOI or name of database (if applicable)
Footnotes: Format (Rule, Examples)
"In a note, the main element of a manuscript citation is usually a specific item (a letter, a memorandum, or whatever) and is thus cited first. In a bibliography, the main element is usually either the collection...,the author(s)..., or the depository. ”
Bibliography: Format (Rule & Examples)
In a bibliography: "Entries are usually listed under the name of the collection or under the author(s) of the items contained therein...If only one item from a collection has been mentioned in text or in a note and is considered important enough to include in a bibliography, the entry will begin with the item."
Frequently Asked Difficult Questions
- Citing republished/bound primary sources (14.160: Citations taken from secondary sources)When possible, always find and cite the original. If this is absolutely impossible, you may need to cite a primary source that is republished in a secondary source.
- On anonymous works (13.81: No listed author (anonymous works))Guidance about when to use "Anonymous", and when to put in an inferred author's name.
- See for more info: Citing Records in the National Archives of the United StatesNeed more examples or helpful information? The Chicago Manual of Style also recommends looking at this "pamphlet" produced by the National Archives on citing archival material.
- Include a URL, but don't do full "website" format (13.6: Uniform resource locators (URLs))If it's a letter that was digitized and put online, cite it as a letter with a URL at the end; don't cite it like a website just because it's online. Don't include a URL for a finding aid; just for a digitized version of the item itself.
- Messy database URL? Just include the database name (14.72: URLs for journal articles)For databases that don't have short URLs for articles, just include the database name in place of the URL.
