Research Guides
Primary Sources
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Primary Sources
Primary sources are firsthand accounts or records of events in history. These
sources reflect the point of view of a participant or observer at a particular
point of time. There are a wide range of primary source materials available
for historical research. For example:
- Magazines, newspapers, books, and pamphlets written and published during
a particular time period
- Diaries, letters, or papers usually written for personal reasons. Some
of these may have been published later, usually after the writer’s death.
- Reports and records such as census data or minutes of an organization
- Autobiographies and memoirs often written long after the events took place
and therefore, may be somewhat less reliable.
- Photos, audio recordings, movies, buildings, and other physical objects
may also reveal information about the time period and popular culture
Compilations of primary sources such as a book containing many short excerpts
from primary sources are not as useful as the original sources themselves.
Source materials may have a bias or purpose which you should be aware of. For
example, an article from a northern paper during the civil war will read much
differently than an article from a southern paper. When reading primary sources,
think about why the piece was written, when it was written, and what it tells
us about the writer and the time period.
Finding primary source materials
To search the MATC Library catalog for primary source materials, try adding one of the
following subheadings to your search term or topic: diaries, personal narratives, documents, sources, letters, correspondence, oral history, pamphlets, interviews, speeches, or autobiography.
- For example: civil war and diaries.
Search for books and resources in the MATC Libraries online catalog:
To see what types of materials are available in the MATC libraries take a look
at these selected bibliographies of primary source material:
MATC also subscribes to Proquest Historical Newspapers which includes:
Chicago Defender (1921-1975) Chicago Tribune (1849-1985), New York Times(1851 – three years prior to present year ).
Full page images of the Chicago Defender , Chicago Tribune, New York Times. Complete with illustrations, advertisements, obituaries, etc. as they appeared in the newspaper at that time.
The Wisconsin Historical
Society Library
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/
This library serves as the archives for the state of Wisconsin. The collection
includes over 4 million published works relating to the history of North America.
Making primary resources available is the mission of the Society Archives whose
collection also includes unpublished works, maps, photographs, graphics, and
audiovisual materials.
Digital collections
Many libraries and organizations are digitizing specialized collections and
making them available online. From historical photographs to rare books, these
collections contain a wealth of information and are readily accessible. For
examples of some potentially useful digitized collections, see this resources
by subject guide- Digital
Collections. Remember to carefully evaluate the source of any information
posted on the web and follow your instructor’s guidelines for recommended
sources.
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Help
In constructing your search, remember that primary source materials use the
language of the time period. For example, Gettysburg may be spelled Gettysburgh
in newspaper articles of the 1860’s and groups of people may be referred
to in terms that are no longer in use today.
If you have questions, stop in and talk to a librarian at the reference desk
or use our Ask-a-Librarian
reference service
For more information on getting started with writing your history paper, check
out- Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing by Anthony
Brundage 907.2 B894.
For additional information about primary sources available on the internet
consult:
Using
Primary Sources on the Web
Tutorial that discusses finding and evaluating primary sources on the web. From
the Reference and User Service Association History Section in the American Library
Association.
In the First Person
Index of more than 3,350 collections of personal narratives in English from around the world from Alexander Street Press
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Last Modified: July 02 2008 | 
