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Monroe Middle School Library: Primary Sources

Primary Sources Resources

Primary Sources Resources

Primary Sources

Here is a list of places that are more likely to have primary sources.   Of course, you still need to read and evaluate all sources before you use them in any project.

These resources were compiled from the article, 6 Free Online Sources for Primary Source Documents by Monica Burns,  https://www.edutopia.org/blog/online-resources-primary-source-documents-monica-burns.

The following resources were compiled from the article, Online Primary Source Collections, https://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/using-primary-sources/24491.

Home Access for Monroe Library Databases

Tutorials & Help for Using the Library Databases

Here are some of the frequently asked for help and tutorials for using the School Library Databases

Finding Primary Sources on the Web

Primary vs Secondary Sources

Primary Sources

A primary source provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups are also primary sources. More examples of primary sources:

  • Autobiographies and memoirs
  • Diaries, personal letters, and correspondence
  • Interviews, surveys, and fieldwork
  • Internet communications on email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups
  • Photographs, drawings, and posters
  • Works of art and literature
  • Books, magazine and newspaper articles and ads published at the time
  • Public opinion polls
  • Speeches and oral histories
  • Original documents (birth certificates, property deeds, trial transcripts)
  • Research data, such as census statistics
  • Official and unofficial records of organizations and government agencies
  • Artifacts of all kinds, such as tools, coins, clothing, furniture, etc.
  • Audio recordings, DVDs, and video recordings
  • Government documents (reports, bills, proclamations, hearings, etc.)
  • Patents
  • Technical reports
  • Scientific journal articles reporting experimental research results

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research. More examples of secondary sources:

  • Bibliographies
  • Biographical works
  • Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases
  • Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after the event
  • Literature reviews and review articles (e.g., movie reviews, book reviews)
  • History books and other popular or scholarly books
  • Works of criticism and interpretation
  • Commentaries and treatises
  • Textbooks
  • Indexes and abstracts

-From Ithaca College Library (https://library.ithaca.edu/sp/subjects/primary)

Using Wikipedia as a Tool

Wikipedia logoAlthough almost all instructors advice against using Wikipedia as a supporting resource for your paper or project, you can still use Wikipedia as a tool to locate other online resources. Look at the References and Resources links at the end of a Wikipedia article to locate outside resources that may link to reliable and useful leads. Try a search for your topic and see if there are any links to online libraries, archives, or other primary material that might help you in your search.

 

From College of San Mateo Library https://libguides.collegeofsanmateo.edu/history/primarysources

Omaha Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, age, genetic information, citizenship status, or economic status in its programs, activities and employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual has been designated to address inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Superintendent of Schools, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (531-299-9822).

Las Escuelas Públicas de Omaha no discriminan basados en la raza, color, origen nacional, religión, sexo, estado civil, orientación sexual, discapacidad , edad, información genética, estado de ciudadanía, o estado económico, en sus programas, actividades y empleo, y provee acceso equitativo a los “Boy Scouts” y a otros grupos juveniles designados. La siguiente persona ha sido designada para atender estas inquietudes referentes a las pólizas de no discriminación: El Superintendente de las Escuelas, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (531-299-9822).