There are a number of research tools that can be used to locate primary sources. For descriptions of manuscript collections, Yale archival records and publications, and videotaped Holocaust testimonies, begin with the Yale Library's online public catalog, Orbis. Finding aids for some of these materials are available online and can be found in the Yale Finding Aid Database. A growing collection of images from the department's holdings is searchable in the Manuscripts and Archives Digital Images Database (MADID).

The guides "Primary Sources for the Study of Art, Architecture, and Drama In Manuscripts and Archives," "The Edward M. House Papers and Associated Collections," and the "History of Sexuality: Guide to Resources in Manuscripts and Archives Yale University Library" are available at Subject Guides.

Tools for locating primary source materials held by repositories outside of Yale is available at Other Research Tools.