The Digital Historian
Trace History Through Sources
Welcome to my website.
This website is part of my master’s thesis and explores how students search for and work with historical sources, both digital and physical.
Its purpose is simple: to give you a curated gateway into archives, databases, and digitized collections from around the world. Many of these resources are freely accessible online, while others, especially Danish archives, require physical access. The platform is designed with Danish students in mind, but it is useful for anyone interested in navigating historical material more effectively.
What You’ll Find Here
About
Learn more about the project’s purpose and background. This section presents key survey findings through visualizations and clear explanations, alongside an overview of how digitization in the historical field has developed from the 1980s to today.
Methods: Search Strategies & Research Approaches
A practical guide to finding historical sources. This section focuses on search techniques, digital research methods, and strategies to help you locate relevant materials more efficiently—and with greater confidence.
Archives
The core of the website. Here you’ll find curated overviews of archives and platforms hosting digitized materials, including primary sources and historical texts.
The section are divided into:
- Danish archives
- International archives
- Art, religion and data
How were these archives and other sites found? Majority of these collections are informed from both survey responses and firsthand research, bringing together a wide range of resources, some well-known, others often overlooked. The process itself revealed how much valuable material remains underused, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge and helping each other navigate the field. Most sites are in either Danish or English. Though some of the archives gives access to sources and other materials in their original languages. So it is also possible to find German, Spanish or other languages.
An important note is that some of the international archives will also have sources about Denmark, so if your looking for an international look at Denmark. You still have to look at those. Ofcource this also goes the other way.
History is not just about what exists, it’s about what you can find.
Art, Religion, and Data
Here, you will find information on where to access a variety of research resources, including datasets, archives containing religious documents and books, as well as digitized art collections and other historical artifacts.
Sources
Here, you will find an overview of a wide range of archives, institutes, libraries, and digital repositories that provide access to historical sources and research materials.
Together, these resources offer opportunities to engage with historical material across different periods, regions, and scholarly fields.
Methods
Here, you will find information on various methodological search strategies that can be employed to identify relevant sources for academic papers. As well as relevant academic papers.
In addition, the site provides information on a range of digital methods and programs, along with examples illustrating how these tools can be applied in university-level research and study practices, among other resources.
About me
Hello! My name is Helene, and I created this website as part of my master’s thesis in Information Science at Aarhus University.
I also hold a bachelor’s degree in History from the same institution. The idea for this website emerged from my own experiences of struggling to locate relevant sources for academic papers, often due to uncertainty about where to begin or which resources to consult.
My aim is that this website will support current and future students in identifying and accessing relevant historical sources across a wide range of formats for their assignments and examinations. I encourage you to make use of the site, and if you find that anything is missing or could be improved, you are welcome to contact me at the following email address:
hkjrknudsen@gmail.com