Aurora University
Phillips Library
Library Research Using Primary
Sources
What Are Primary Sources?
Primary sources enable the
researcher to get as close as possible to the truth of what actually
happened during an historical event or time period. Primary sources are
the evidence left behind by participants or observers. 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 They are generally unpublished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. In contrast, secondary materials, such as
textbooks, synthesize and interpret primary materials. Following are
excerpts and examples from a variety of explanations provided by institutions
that utilize primary resources.
The following are generally considered primary sources:
Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, manuscripts
and other papers in which individuals describe events in which they
were participants or observers.
Memoirs and biographies. These are
generally less reliable since they are usually written long after
events occurred and may be distorted by bias, dimming memory or the
revised perspective that may come with hindsight. On the other hand,
they are sometimes the only source for certain information.
Records of organizations and agencies of government. The minutes,
reports, correspondence, etc. of an organization or agency serve
as an ongoing record of the activity and thinking of that organization
or agency. Many kinds of records (births, deaths, marriages; permits
and licenses issued; census data; etc.) these document conditions
in the society.
Published materials (books, magazine and journal articles, newspaper
articles) written at the time about a particular event. While these
are sometimes accounts by participants, in most cases they are written
by journalists or other observers. The important thing is to distinguish
between material written at the time of an event as a kind of report,
and material written much later, as historical analysis.
Photographs, audio recordings and moving pictures or video recordings,
that document what happened. Artifacts of all kinds: physical objects,
buildings, furniture, tools, appliances, and household items, clothing,
toys.
Research reports in the sciences and social sciences. Especially
for recent social history, the best evidence of broad developments
in society is often in the form of social science surveys or research
studies. This research is generally reported in book form, government
reports, or most commonly in articles published in scholarly journals.
If you
are attempting to find evidence documenting the mentality or psychology
of a time, or of a group (evidence of a world view, a set of attitudes,
or the popular understanding of an event or condition), the most
obvious source is public opinion polls taken at the time. Since these
are generally very limited in availability and in what they reveal,
however, it is also possible to make use of ideas and images conveyed
in the mass media, and even in literature, film, popular fiction, self-help
literature, textbooks, etc.
Again, the point is to use these sources, written or produced at the
time, as evidence of how people were thinking.
What Are Secondary Sources?
A secondary source is
a work that interprets or analyzes an historical event or phenomenon.
It is generally at least one step removed from the event. A recent article
that evaluates and analyzes the relationship between the feminist movement
and the labormovement in turn-of-the-century England is an example
of a secondary source; if you were to look at the bibliography of this
article you would see that the author’s research was based on
both primary sources such as labor union documents, speeches and personal
letters as well as other secondary sources. Textbooks and encyclopedias
are also examples of secondary sources. To find secondary sources,
look in library catalogs, indexes, and databases.
What is a Case Study?
Noun:
- case study - a careful study of some social unit (as a corporation
or division within a corporation) that attempts to determine what
factors led to its success or failure report, written report, study
- a written document describing the findings of some individual or
group
- case study - a detailed analysis of a person or group from
a social or psychological or medical point of view analysis - an
investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations
in making up the whole.
Find the Right Reference Source
A good first step
in finding primary materials is to look at the resources in the library’s
reference collection. These sources will give you a good overview of
the topic, will outline the basic historical context and will help
you identify key participants, dates and publications associated with
your topic, as well as help you to define a call number area for your
topic. Ask a librarian or professor to suggest reference sources or
textbooks, such as specialized encyclopedias, chronologies or factbooks
which will give you an historical overview of a topic or event and
identify the participants. If you have specific people in mind already,
biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias will give you background
information and bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. Books
and historical journal articles (especially those with extensive bibliographies)
and other secondary sources can give you background information and
clues as to the participants involved and source materials which might
be available. Specialized bibliographies and guides to research often
give both an introductory overview of how to go about researching a
particular topic as well as list specific primary and secondary sources.
Examples of specialized encyclopedias, chronologies and factbooks:
- Continuum
Encyclopedia of British Literature. R 829.3 Con
- Statistical Handbook
on Women in America. R 305.26 Sta
Examples of biographical sources:
- Current Biography. (1940- ) R 920
Cu
- Biography Index. (1946- ) R IN 900 Bio
Examples of Indexes:
- Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. (1900 -
) R IN 000 Rea Social Sciences Index. (1991- ) R IN 300 Soci
Examples of Directories:
- Ward’s Business Directory. R 338 War
- Ulrich’s Periodicals
Directory. R 016.05 Ulr
Examples of bibliographies and guides to research:
- MLA Bibliography.
R IN 800 Mod
- Mass Media Bibliography : an annotated guide to books
and journals for research and reference. R 016.30223 Blu
Identify Key Participants, Dates & Publications
Associated With
When looking at reference sources, pick out names of people, organizations,
and
governmental agencies that were participants, and any publications
such as reports,
newsletters, magazines, pamphlets, etc. that they produced in conjunction
with the
events or developments you are researching.
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