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YOUR LEATHERBY LIBRARIES
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
What
are Primary Sources?
According
to the UC Berkeley Library Research Guide: "Primary sources
enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what
actually happened during an historical event or time period."
The UCLA Institute on Primary Resources states that "primary
resources provide firsthand evidence of historical events.
They are generally unpublished materials, such as manuscripts,
photographs, maps, artifacts, audio and video recordings,
oral histories, postcards, and posters. In some instances,
published materials can also be viewed as primary materials
for the period in which they were written."
The
Ohio Historical Society defines primary sources as a "source
created by people who actually saw or participated in an event
and recorded that event or their reactions to it immediately
after the event."
One can view a primary source as a first-hand account of an
event. It is important to note that primary sources "present
information in its original form, neither interpreted nor
condensed nor evaluated by other writers" (James Cook
University). As a researcher, using primary sources offers
you the unique opportunity to perform original analysis and
formulate your own theory or opinion. Primary sources can
also come in any form.
How to find Primary Sources at the Leatherby Libraries:
Search
the Leatherby Libraries Catalog or WorldCat by:
AUTHOR:
search by an author's name to find materials written by that
person.
SUBJECT:
the term "Sources" is the official subject sub-heading
used in both the Library catalog and WorldCat for primary
sources.
Example: the subject heading "Reformation - Sources"
indicates works that contain primary sources on the Reformation.
KEYWORD:
the following terms often lead to primary sources: autobiography,
correspondence, diaries, interviews, letters, and personal
narratives.
The Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and
Archives, located in Leatherby Libraries, contain many official
documents on the university's past. Special Collections also
include primary source materials on local history.
Primary
Sources on the Web
Here
are several important digitized collections of primary sources
on the Web:
Library
of Congress American Memory Collection
UC
Berkeley Digital Library
Bancroft
Library
Early
California Population Project (ECPP)
New
York Public Library Digital Collection
National
Archives and Records Administration
Making
of America Project
Smithsonian
Institution Libraries: Digital Collections
What
are Secondary Sources?
Bowling Green State University, Library
"Secondary sources, on the other hand, offer an analysis
or a restatement of primary sources. They often attempt to
describe or explain primary sources. Some secondary sources
not only analyze primary sources, but use them to argue a
contention or to persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion."
Ohio
Historical Society
"Source created by someone either not present when the
event took place or removed by time from the event."
UCLA
Institute on Primary Resources
"A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes
an historical event or phenomenon."
You
can often find primary sources listed in the footnotes and
bibliographies of secondary books and articles.
One
can view a secondary source as a summary, interpretation,
or analysis of the primary source. They often attempt to describe
or explain primary sources. Examples of secondary sources
include textbooks and encyclopedias.
Comparison:
|
Primary
Sources
|
Secondary
Sources
|
| Original
works of literature, art, music |
Criticism
of original work |
| Newspaper
accounts of events, by someone on the scene |
Newspaper
editorial |
| Diary,
autobiography, letters, oral testimony |
Biography |
| Historical
documents, such as laws or treaties |
Historical
commentary |
| Television
show or motion picture |
Review |
| Raw
data from questionnaires |
Social
science article based on another's data |
Observation/experiment |
Scientific article based on another's experiment |
Please
ask the librarian at the reference desk if you need further
help.
Sources
Bowling
Green State University: Library instruction: Primary vs.secondary
sources. http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/infosrv/lue/primary.html
James
Cook University: Primary, secondary, & tertiary sources.
http://www.library.jcu.edu.au/LibraryGuides/primsrcs.shtml
Ohio
Historical Society: Primary sources.
http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/teacher/primary.html
Sims
Memorial Library: Primary vs. secondary sources.
http://www3.selu.edu/adunnington/ls102/privsec.html
UC Berkeley
Library: Library research: Finding primary sources. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html
UCLA
Institute on Primary Resources: What are primary resources?
http://ipr.ues.gseis.ucla.edu/info/definition.html
University
Library, California State University, Stanislaus: Primary
vs. secondary sources. http://library.csustan.edu/gorenstein/helpguides/primary_v.htm