PAID 112 Section 16 - Peterson (Spring 2025)
Luther College History
Getting Started with Primary Sources
Primary sources provide first-hand accounts of past events. They connect us to the views and perceptions of people who came before us.
Primary sources can come in several formats such as:
- Newspaper articles
- Personal journals and autobiographies
- Interviews
- Speeches
- Photographs
- Laws and statutes
- Novels
- Films and documentaries
Preus Library has access to several databases of different primary sources for your use. If you need assistance navigating these databases, contact your librarian for help.
Search the Archives Catalog
Search the Luther College Archives catalog to find primary source materials relating to the history of Luther College, the Norwegian Synod, local church congregations, and more.
Visit Nordic: the Norwegian Digital Catalog
For more assistance with finding materials in the Archives, please contact us at archives@luther.edu or 563-387-1805.
Using Nordic
Nordic is a digital catalog that contains finding aids, special catalog records that describe archival collections.
Finding aids will tell you these things about an archival collection:
- Type of materials in a collection (papers, photographs, audio-visual items, artifacts)
- Who created and/or donated the material and some biographical information about them
- How old the material is
- How many boxes are in a collection
- A list of every folder inside each box in a collection
When searching Nordic, remember the following tips:
- Use quotation marks! If you are searching for a specific phrase or name, use quotation marks so Nordic only brings back exact matches.
- Check you spelling! Nordic will not catch any spelling errors the way Google might, so double-check your search terms.
- Try lots of different search terms! If you cannot find any results using "cats" try "kitties" or "felines."
- Ask the Archivist for help! She's happy to help you navigate the catalog and answer questions.
Online Primary Resources
These are digitized collections from the Luther College Archives and Winneshiek County Historical Society. They include publications (newspapers, magazines), a database, and photographs.
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Winneshiek County Newspaper Archives This link opens in a new windowThis collection includes several newspapers published in Winneshiek County, with earliest content beginning in 1857. A 2-year embargo is maintained for currently-published titles included in the collection. Notable titles include "Calmar Courier," "Decorah Journal," and "Decorah Public Opinion." The resource is a joint project between Luther College and the Winneshiek County Historical Society, with support from the State Historical Society of Iowa's Historical Resource Development Program.
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Luther Digital - PublicationsThis collection includes digitized copies of the Luther College Chips newspaper (1884-2019), Pioneer Yearbook (1920-2015), the Agora journal (1988-2020), and the Luther College Alumni Magazine (1932-1997).
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Historical Photos
Browse a selection of some of our favorite historical images on Flickr. -
Pastors of the Norwegian Lutheran Synods (1843-1927)The Pastors of the Norwegian Lutheran Synods database was created with the data contained in the publication, Who's Who Among Pastors in All the Norwegian Lutheran Synods of America, 1843-1927 which was edited by O.M. Norlie and constituted one of the earliest comprehensive listings of Norwegian-American pastors.
Published Primary Sources
Some primary sources have been published for broader access. Luther College has several published primary sources.
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The Diary of Elisabeth Koren, 1853-1855
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Call Number: E184.S23 K6713 2006ISBN: 157216008XPublication Date: 1994-06-01 -
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Luther College Goes to War: "Scuttlebutt" and the World War II Letters byCall Number: D769.85.I9 D3 2008Publication Date: 20082 volumes.
Your Librarian
Get In Touch
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