Research Guides: HIS312 Immigration to Canada: Home

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Identifying primary sources

A primary source is a document that was created at the time of the event or subject you've chosen to study, or by people who were observers of, or participants in that event or topic

More information:

What kinds of things can be primary sources?

Think about what kinds of primary sources might be related to your topic:

letters	newspapers	pamphlets
interviews	reports	maps
diaries	government documents	film
memoirs	institutional records	photographs

Ways to find primary sources:

1. Start with what you already have to uncover references to primary sources. Consult your:

class notes
course readings
bibliographies of your textbook, journal articles, or other secondary sources
historical encyclopedias

They can also help you identify relevant historical figures, authors, or keywords for searching library database

2. Use the library catalogue to find books and other materials

Combine keywords for different kinds of primary sources with keywords for your topic to find them in the library catalogue.

Examples:

Refugees in Canada sources

Canadian Immigrant Diaries

Latin American migration to Canada documents

Tip: filter your search in the library catalog by format using the left side bar

Primary source keywords

documents	sources	texts	diaries
correspondence	pamphlets	personal narratives	interviews

3. Use reliable online primary source collections

Canadian or National Focused Archives and Databases

American historical periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society
The periodicals focused on American concerns and were predominantly published in the United States or Canada. Tip: try searching "Canadian immigration."
Canadiana Online
an organization dedicated to the preservation and access of Canada’s documentary heritage since 1978
City of Toronto Archives
The Archives has over 1.25 million photographs and over 10,000 maps and plans in its collection in addition to exhibits, municipal records, and much more
Digital Museums Canada
DMC is the largest national investment program dedicated to supporting digital projects. Navigate to "funded projects" at the top of the page to see collections
Library and Archives Canada
Serves as the continuing memory of the federal government and its institutions and as the guardian of Canada’s distant past and recent history
OurOntario
The OurOntario.ca discovery portal provides one search across hundreds of sites in seconds. OurOntario.ca makes it easy to find audio, video, text, images and collections about Ontario or from Ontario organizations

Immigration Focused Archives and Databases

SFU Digitized Collections - Immigrant Experience
The Simon Fraser University Library digitized collections include over 130 collections, with more than 1.3 million digitized newspapers, photographs, documents, sound recordings, and other objects.
SFU Digitized Newspapers - Immigrant Experience
Digitized newspapers make up the largest part of the Simon Fraser University Library digitized collections, with more than 950,000 pages from papers.
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 - Search the Collection
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 has a mission is to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada—past to present and coast to coast to coast.
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 - Research
Navigate to "Research" at the top of the page to see databases and collections on Immigration Records, Immigration History, Oral History, and more.

North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories This link opens in a new window
Personal papers and oral histories describing the immigrant experience in America and Canada between 1800 and 1950.

Prairie Immigration Experience
The Prairie Immigration Experience is a collection of nearly 15,000 digitized archival documents, including diaries, correspondence, photographs, and audio and video recordings from the holdings of the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections and the University of Saskatchewan Archives.
The Canadian Immigration Historical Society
The CIHS was formed in 1986 to develop and promote interest in Canadian immigration and refugee matters and history.
Multicultural History Society of Ontario
A multitude of links relating to the experiences of ethnic cultural groups and immigration in Canada.

Ethnic or Cultural Focused Archives and Databases

The Black & African-Caribbean community in Canada
Black Loyalist Refugees
Records and database related to the American Revolution, and the British and Loyalist forces that evacuated New York in 1783 to settle in Nova Scotia.
Chinese Canadian Archive at the Toronto Public Library:
A community-built archive maintained by Toronto Public Library in English and Chinese languages which reflect the Chinese Canadian community in the Greater Toronto Area.
Chinese Canadians - research guide of Library and Archives Canada
A resource guide to the resources on the history of Chinese immigrants in the collections of Library and Archives Canada.
Digitized CI 9 (Chinese Immigration 9) Certificates
A digitized collection of Chinese Canadian head tax certificates known as CI 9s between 1910 and 1953.
Hong Kong Handover Collection
Digitized materials of approximately 15,000 pages, consist of books, academic papers, original art works, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, ephemeral materials documenting the handover ceremony, photographs, and government documents.
Islands in the North
This digital project (re)creates the space and place of Black Canadian/West Indian immigrants in twentieth-century Toronto, Canada. Includes oral narratives, music, advertisements, and photographs, and more.
Virtual Museum of Asian Canadian Cultural Heritage
The mandate of Asian Heritage Month-CFACI is to pursue the representation and dissemination of Asian Canadian experiences through art and culture created by Asian Canadian artists and Asian Canadians

Black Drama This link opens in a new window
Full text of plays from the mid-1800s to the present written by Black playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries. Many works are rare, hard to find, or out of print.
Black Drama (Second Edition) This link opens in a new window
Searchable and browsable database containing the full text of plays, written from the 1850s to the present, by playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries

African Diaspora, 1860-Present
African Diaspora, 1860-Present allows scholars to discover the migrations, communities, and ideologies of the African Diaspora through the voices of people of African descent.
Black History at the Archives of Ontario
Chinese Canadian Women 1923-1967
Explore over 1,000 digitized items documenting Chinese Canadian women's history between 1923 and 1967, including oral history interviews, historical photographs, memorabilia, documents and artwork.
Ethno-cultural groups
This page provides general instructions on researching people from any ethno-cultural group in Canada. Scroll to see research guides and other resources for a variety of groups.
Indo-Canadian Oral History Collection
A selection of interviews conducted with early Indian immigrants to Canada, almost all of them British Columbians, in 53 audio files.
Italian Canadian Women Oral History Collection
Interviews collected in the 1970s and 1980s documenting the experiences of Italian women who immigrated to Canada throughout the first three quarters of the twentieth century.
Scottish Oral History Collection
"Scottish Voices from the West" oral histories is a collection of 52 oral histories of Scottish immigrants to British Columbia that were recorded in 2003 and 2004 by SFU's Centre for Scottish Studies.
The New Brunswick Irish Portal
A collection of databases on Irish migration to Canada includes newspapers, immigrant letters, passenger lists, personal records and more

Citing Your Sources

Excelsior OWL Citation Style Guides
Support for APA, MLA, and Chicago documentation styles.
Chicago Manual of Style Quick Style guide (18th ed.)
Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide (17th ed.)
Online subscription to Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (UTORid login required)
Chicago Formatting and Style (16th ed.) from Excelsior
The Chicago manual of style online by University of Chicago Press
**The 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has been superseded by the 18th edition.** While digital technologies have revolutionized the publishing world in the twenty-first century, one thing still remains true: The Chicago Manual of Style is the authoritative, trusted source that writers, editors, and publishers turn to for guidance on style and process. Though processes may change, the Manual continues to offer the clear, well-considered style and usage advice it has for more than a century. The sixteenth edition offers expanded information on producing electronic publications, including web-based content and e-books.
How to Cite Primary Sources in Archives & Special Collections
Citing Primary Sources in Chicago

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Acknowledgements

This guide is currently maintained by Jesse Carliner. Please send any suggestions, comments, and reports of broken links to jesse.carliner@utoronto.ca

Fall 2023 update: Samantha Zani, TALint student

Research Guides

HIS312 Immigration to Canada

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Identifying primary sources

Canadian or National Focused Archives and Databases

Immigration Focused Archives and Databases

Ethnic or Cultural Focused Archives and Databases

Citing Your Sources

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