LibKey Nomad
Primary Sources to Consider
Some common primary sources you might encounter:
- Journals, diaries, and memoirs.
- Government documents like maps, yearbooks, or reports
- Oral histories and interviews.
- Photographs and films.
- Pamphlets and other ephemera
- Websites and social media posts.
Carleton Sources
Need to get a start on your research, or just looking for advice on how to search physical and digital archives? Check out the following research guides!
Archival Research at Carleton (other local sources included)
Northfield Sources
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Northfield History Collaborative (digital)A digital collection of historical documents about Northfield, through a collaboration of community partners, including the Northfield Historical Society, the Northfield Public Library, Carleton College Library and Archives, the Rice County Historical Society, and many more.
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Northfield Historical Society (physical)
Located downtown by the Post Office. A summary of NHS collections. Generally includes historical newspapers, maps, photographs, business records, court documents, and birth and death records specifically from Northfield.
The Hatpin (Housewives/Households Alert to Pollution in Northfield) was published in Northfield from the 1970's through the 1980's. The Northfield istorical Society has digitized 22 issues of the paper from 1971-1973.Carleton has microfilm copies of the Northfield News that go back to 1908. We continue to receive the physical paper as well- current issues can be found in the Rookery.The Friends of Prairie Creek website hosts some information about the sites, as well as some history about the families who lived there as well as general history.
Rice County Sources
Rice County Historical Society
The Rice County Historical Society has a physical research library as well as digital collections. Carleton alos hosts some of their resrouces as a part of the Northfield History Collaborative.
Census of Agriculture Historical Archive (Hosted by Cornell University)
Government sources like the agricultural census can be used to track changes at county-level over time. This is a great way to get a sense of shifting agricultural trends over time, such as crops planted or livestock raised, or even the amount of land used for agriculture in a given county.
We also have print copies of the agricultural census on the first floor of the Libe.
Federal Government Resources
The USDA publishes annual yearbooks and outlooks for the agriculture industry.
Previous yearbooks can provide useful information about the state of farming during a given year, as well as provide information on nation-wide trends.
Alternative link to issues in HathiTrust
The Agricultural Outlook/AMber Waves offers economic data to predict trends in agriculture. A good source for historical data.
