Spring 2008 - F. Cheung, D. Horowitz, H. Horowitz, and K. Rozario
reference contacts: Pamela Skinner x2961 and Bruce Sajdak x2967

WHAT IS A PRIMARY SOURCE?

• Primary sources are original records created at the time an historical event occurred; they may also be written well after-the-fact by participants in the event. (Think of memoirs, autobiographies, or transcriptions of recollections - i.e. oral histories.)
• Primary sources need not focus on a specific event; rather, they may more generally reflect the ideas and values of a particular time period. Examples of these include etiquette books, marriage manuals, books on manhood, physical fitness, race, religion, education, etc.
• Primary sources may include personal writings such as letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and autobiographies (in manuscript or published form). They may also include newspaper articles or editorials, speeches, interviews.
• Governments and organizations also produce primary sources, for example, Congress, the Office of the President, the American Eugenics Society, and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
• Primary sources are not always "non-fiction" works - or written works. They may be creative works, such as poems, novels, and plays, as well as photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures, sheet music, etc.
• All these sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research

[Adapted from Using Primary Sources on the Web, Instruction & Research Services Committee, Reference and User Service Association History Section, American Library Association, accessed 2/13/07]

FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Use scholarly encyclopedias for an overview of your topic, definitions, a list of suggested readings, and (sometimes) a lead on related primary source material. Ask at the Neilson Library reference desk for other suggestions.

LOCATING PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL

Smith's special collections:

• If you would like to work with primary source materials in the original, consider using Smith's Sophia Smith Collection. This page describes their major subject collections.
• Materials relating to the history of the college are housed in the College Archives. Letters, diaries, and other primary sources documenting student life at Smith are listed on the Research Guides page. The image gallery also gives a sense of the scope of the collection.
• Consult with the collection curators for other ideas.

Books:

• In addition to materials in the Sophia Smith Collection and College Archives, there is an abundance of primary source material in Neilson Library.
• Use secondary literature for leads on primary sources.

5 College Library Catalog

• To start your subject search, click on SUBJECT KEYWORD. Note that the "correct" subject heading isn't always obvious or predictable.
• If a subject search doesn't work, try KEYWORDS ANYWHERE to find a few relevant titles. Then track through on the Subject(s) listed on individual book descriptions to conduct a more comprehensive subject search.
• As you look through lists of subjects, watch for the words "personal narratives," "diaries," "interviews," "correspondence," "pamphlets," and "sources" as part of the subject headings.
• Other clues may be buried in the title, authorship, date of publication, etc.
• You can limit your search to items published 1885-1905 by using the advanced search option. BUT, you'll lose any modern reprints of sources originally published 1885-1905.

19th century newspapers/magazines:

Neilson Library has many 19th century magazines in two call number areas, if you want to browse: periodical AP 2 (level 2 south) and 050 (level 3 south). Many of these titles are indexed in Readers' Guide Retrospective.

Databases and websites:

American Memory (Library of Congress)
You may search the collections by subject,time period (1850-1899), format, or region.

American Periodical Series. 1740-1900.
Digitized reproductions of more than 1,100 eighteenth and nineteenth century newspapers and periodicals.

Documenting the American South (University of North Carolina)
A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century.

Making of America (University of Michigan)
A digital library of primary sources in 19th century American social history; includes books as well as articles from 19th century magazines and reviews.

New York Times Historical. 1851+

Readers' Guide Retrospective. 1890-1982

FIND ARTICLES (Secondary literature)

Use the databases below to locate scholarly articles and essays on your topic.

America, History and Life 1953+
The major database for American history. Lists articles, book reviews, collections, and dissertations. Use the buttons to see if Smith has the journal you need online or in print.

Humanities Abstracts 1984+
Covers the core history journals as well as other humanities disciplines (literature, etc.). Use the buttons to see if Smith has the journal you need online or in print.

EVALUATING AND CITING SOURCES

• Remember to cite your souce, when either quoting directly or paraphasing.
• Cite your source whenever you present an idea that isn't your own.
• Websites must be cited in your notes/bibliography, too; if you cut and paste--or
  paraphrase--from a website, cite the webpage.
• When in doubt, cite your source.
• Use this link to connect to online versions of Turabian, MLA Style Guide, etc.:
  Style Manuals & Citation Guides
• Or use the Landmarks Citation Machine, which offers quick citation help for APA, Chicago, MLA and Turabian style.

For help with your writing, remember the writing services available at the Jacobson Center.

Evaluating internet resources (Univ. of Maryland)

Using Primary Sources on the Web: Evaluating Primary Source Websites (Instruction & Research Services Committee, Reference and User Service Association History Section, American Library Association)

REFERENCE DESK HOURS

Click here for Neilson Library reference desk hours.

CONTACT THE REFERENCE LIBRARIANS

Contact Pamela Skinner or Bruce Sajdak, the instructors for your library session: pskinner@email.smith.edu or bsajdak@email.smith.edu

 

Home | Research | Library Services | General Information | Smith Libraries & Collections | Need Help?