At Stanford, the following are rich in primary sources.

Material found in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives includes rare books, manuscripts and university archives which document the history of Stanford. Among the treasures to be found in the unique collections are the papers of John Steinbeck, the D. H. Lawrence collection, Laura Aguilar Papers and Photographs, the Sir Isaac Newton (Sir Isaac) Collection and Apple Computer, Inc. Records.

Focusing on twentieth century history and politics, the Hoover Institution Library and Archives collections include political posters, pamphlets, papers from members of Congress, documents of the Soviet Communist Party, dissident materials, Nazi diaries, recorded interviews and Russian art books.

The Music Library and Archive of Recorded Sound boast musical scores, manuscripts on microfilm of Jean Baptiste Lully, tapes from the Monterey Jazz Festival, recordings of Churchill's speeches and the poet Burroghs reading his own work, just to name a few.