 |
Spring
2008 - Neal Salisbury
reference
contact: Pamela Skinner
x2961
Primary
Sources| Background| Books
|
Bibliographies
|
Articles
| Evaluating
& Citing Sources |Reference
Desk Hours
LOCATING
PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL
- 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.
- 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. Governments and organizations
also produce primary sources (for example, the Continental Congress
or church missions). Finally, primary sources are not always "non-fiction"
works - or written works. They may be creative works, such as poems,
novels, and plays.
- 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
- There
is an abundance of primary source material in Neilson Library.
- Use
secondary literature for leads on primary sources.
- As
you search the online catalog, watch for the words "personal narratives,"
"interviews," "correspondence," "pamphlets,"
"sources, " and "early works to 1800" as part of
the subject headings. Other clues may be buried in the title, authorship,
date of publication, etc.
- Click
here for examples.
[Adapted
from Using
Primary Sources on the Web, Instruction & Research Services Committee,
Reference and User Service Association History Section, American Library
Association, accessed 3/13/08]
Databases
containing 16th-18th century publications:
American
Broadsides and Ephemera - 1760 to 1900 - Includes government proclamations,
town meeting reports, invitations documenting civic & private events,
etc.
American
Periodical Series - 1740 to 1900 - Digitized reproductions of more
than 1,100 eighteenth- and nineteenth-century newspapers and periodicals.
In progress.
America's
Historical Newspapers - 1690 to 1922 (in progress) - Digitized collection
of early American newspapers.
Early
American Imprints - 1639 to 1800 - Digitized reproductions of early
American books and tracts, covering foreign affairs, diplomacy, politics,
religion, etc.
Early
English Books Online - 1475 to 1700
Eighteenth
Century Collections Online - 1701 to 1800 - Includes
every significant English- and foreign-language title printed in the United
Kingdom, along with thousands of important works from the Americas.
Periodicals
Archive Online - 1770-1995
Primary
Source Material on the Internet
AMDOCS:
Documents for the Study of American History (WWW Virtual Library)
American
Memory (Library of Congress) - Note the handy timeline on the right
side of this page
that lets you search for digital primary sources by time period. Relevant
collections include:
Archives
of Maryland Online (Maryland State Archives)
Cotton
Mather Home Page (David Levin) - Background materials on the minister,
plus reprints of many of his writings
Cultural
Readings: Colonization and Print in the Americas (University of Pennsylvania)
- Collection of primary and secondary resources on colonization and print
in the Americas
Do
History (George Mason University) - Complete diary of midwife Martha
Ballard, along with other primary documents that historian Laura Thatcher
Ulrich used in interpreting the diary and reconstructing its context;
offers an excellent general introduction to the use of primary sources
Founders'
Constitution (University of Chicago)
Hypertexts
at the University of Virginia -
Includes some primary sources and images from early America
The
Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, 1610 - 1791 (Creighton Univesity)
- Travels and explorations of the Jesuit missionaries in New France, 1610-1791;
the original French, Latin, and Italian texts, with English translations
and notes.
Massachusetts
Historical Society - See especially the Adams Electronic Archive and
the Jefferson Electronic Archive
Papers
of Benjamin Franklin (sponsored by the American Philosophical Society
and Yale University; digital edition by The Packard Humanities Institute)
Phillis
Wheatley - Poems (University of Oregon)
Salem
Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project (University
of Virginia) - Historical maps, archival collections, and literary works
devoted to the trials
Salem Witchcraft Papers (University of Virginia) Complete set of court
documents and lists of all participants
FIND
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Use
scholarly encyclopedias, such as those below, for an overview of your
topic, a list of suggested readings, and (sometimes) a lead on related
primary source material. Note that the list below is highly selective.
Ask at the reference desk for other suggestions.
FIND
BOOKS
Five
College Library Catalog
To
start your subject search, click on SUBJECT BEGINS WITH and try
such search terms as those listed below. Note
that the "correct" subject heading isn't always obvious. If
a subject search doesn't work, try a keyword search to find a few relevant
titles. Then click on the subject headings on those records to conduct
a more comprehensive subject search.Sample
subject headings:
| English |
Library-speak |
| American
Revolution |
United
States - History - Revolution, 1775-1783 |
| Conquistadors |
America
discovery and exploration Spanish Conquerors
(etc.) |
| Salem
witch trials |
Trials
(Witchcraft) - Massachusetts - Salem |
| Typically,
there will be multiple ways to search the same general topic: e.g.
Pueblo revolt |
Franciscans
- Missions - History - 17th century
Indians of North America - New Mexico - History
Pueblo Indians - History- 17th century
Pueblo Indians - Missions
Pueblo revolt, 1680 |
WorldCat
- Use
WorldCat to expand your search for books beyond the Five-College area.
Watch for items that are owned by only one library: such unique material
is often not obtainable via interlibrary loan. If you plan to use interlibrary
loan to request books and theses, please allow at least 2 weeks for
delivery.
A
SAMPLING OF BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Bibliographies
list published research (and sometimes primary source material) on a topic.
Watch for the words "bibliography," "indexes," or
"abstracts" as you search by subject in the Five College Library
Catalog. Examples:
General:
| Reference
Source |
Reference
Call Number |
| The
Female Experience in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century America. |
ref
HQ 1410 .C65 1982 |
| Indian
Slavery, Labor, Evangelization, and Captivity in the Americas. |
ref
E 59 .S64 M25 1998 |
| Loyalist
Literature: An Annotated Bibliographic Guide to the Writings on
the Loyalists of the American Revolution. |
(stacks)
E 277 .A4 1982 |
| Narratives
of North American Indian Captivity : A Selective Bibliography. |
(stacks)
E 85 .V38 1983 |
| Published
Diaries and Letters of American Women: An Annotated Bibliography |
ref
CT 3260 .G66 1987 |
| Revolutionary
America, 1763-1789: A Bibliography. 2 v. |
ref
E 208 .G43 1984 |
| Slavery
and Slaving in World History: A Bibliography. 2 v. |
ref
HT 861 .M544 1993 |
| War
of the American Revolution: A Selected Annotated Bibliography of
Published Sources. |
(stacks)
E 208 .B55 1984 |
FIND
ARTICLES & ESSAYS
Use
the databases below to identify articles and essays on your topic.
- Use
the SC Links buttons within
the databases below to see if Smith has the article you need either
in electronic or print format
- If
you identify an article from another source, use the Journal
Locator to locate the article online or in print
- If
you need to use interlibrary
loan to requests articles, allow a week or so (though often the
articles arrive within days)
The
major American history database:
America,
History and Life - 1953 to present - Lists articles, book reviews,
collections, and dissertations in American and Canadian history.
Other
possibilities:
ATLA
Religion Database - 1949 to present
Humanities
Abstracts - 1984 to present - Covers the core journals in history,
religion, literature, etc.
MLA
Bibliography - 1926 to present - The major literature database
Project
Muse - Full
text articles from major history journals, among other disciplines; coverage
limited to roughly the current 5-10 years.
J-STOR
- Full text articles from major history journals, among other disciplines;
coverage lags roughly 3 years behind printed version of journals.
EVALUATING
AND CITING SOURCES
- Remember
to cite your souce, when either quoting directly or paraphasing. In
other words, 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.
- Remember
to include a context for each quotation/paraphrase. Who said it? Why
does it matter? How does this support or contradict the argument you're
making?
- Use either
Turabian or the Chicago Manual of Style for your papers for
this class; links to brief online versions here.
For the full online version of Chicago, click here.
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 LIBRARIAN
Contact
Pamela Skinner, the instructor for your library session: pskinner@email.smith.edu
YOUR
FEEDBACK
Click
here
to provide feedback on this library session.
EXAMPLES
OF PRIMARY SOURCES
| Reference
Source |
Reference
Call Number |
| Account
of the Late Hardships and Violence Inflicted upon Certain Persons
called Quakers for their Peaceable Religious Meetings in the City
and County of Glocester. 1682. |
click
here |
| Captive
Histories: English, French, and Native Narratives of the 1704 Deerfield
Raid. |
reserve
E 99.A13 C364 2006 |
| Carter,
Robert. Letters of Robert Carter, 1720-1727; the Commercial
Interests of a Virginia Gentleman. |
975.5
C246l |
| A
Declaration of the State of the Colonie and Affaires in Virginia:
With the Names of the Aduenturors, and Summes Aduentured in that
Action. 1620. |
click
here |
| Documents
Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York -
15 v.: |
F
122 .D66 1853 |
| Eddis,
William. Letters from America. [American
loyalist in Maryland] |
973.314
Ed23le 1969 |
| The
Infortunate: The Voyage and Adventures of William Moraley, an Indentured
Servant. |
F
152 .M78 2005 |
| Jefferson,
Thomas. Papers. 30 v. & indexes. |
E 302 .J463 |
The
Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents: Travels and Explorations
of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 1610-1791; the Original
French, Latin, and Italian
Texts, with English Translations and Notes. 73 v. |
971.01
J499 and online |
| Journal
of Alexander Chesney, a South Carolina Loyalist in the Revolution
and After. |
908
Oh33 7 |
Kappler,
Charles J. Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. 7 v.
|
us
doc Y4.In2/2:L44 or click
here |
|
Lee, Samuel. Letters of Samuel Lee and Samuel Sewall Relating
to New England and the Indians. |
F 67 .L47 1912a |
| Letters
from New England: The Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1629-1638. |
F
67 .L663 |
| Loyalist
Narratives from Upper Canada. (Champlain Society Publications,
27) |
F 1058 .T33 1969 |
| Loyalists
in East Florida, 1774 to 1785; the Most Important Documents Pertaining
Thereto. 2 v. |
975.9
F6635 9:1 |
| Massachusetts
Broadsides of the American Revolution. |
oversize
E 263 .M4 M54 |
| Mather,
Increase. A Relation of the Troubles which have Hapned [sic]
in New-England by Reason of the Indians There from the Year 1614
to the Year 1675: Wherein the Frequent Conspiracys of the Indians
to cutt off the English, and the Wonderfull Providence of God in
Disappointing their Devices is Declared: Together with an Historical
Discourse Concerning the Prevalency of Prayer Shewing that New Englands
Late Deliverance from the Rage of the Heathen is an Eminent Answer
of Prayer. 1677. |
click
here |
| Milcah
Martha Moore's Book: A Commonplace Book from Revolutionary America |
PS
530 .M46 1997 |
| Moravian
Mission Diaries of David Zeisberger, 1772-1781. |
E
98 .M6 Z3713 2005 |
| Narratives
of Early Virginia, 1606-1625 |
973.1
Or4 5 |
| The
Negro's & Indians Advocate, Suing for Their Admission to the
Church, or, A Persuasive to the Instructing and Baptizing of the
Negro's and Indians in our Plantations: Shewing that as the Compliance
Therewith can Prejudice No Mans Just Interest, so the Wilful Neglecting
and Opposing of it, is no Less than a Manifest Apostacy from the
Christian Faith: To which is Added, a Brief Account of Religion
in Virginia. 1680. |
click
here |
| Pamphlets
and the American Revolution: Rhetoric, Politics, Literature, and
the Popular Press. [Twelve Revolutionary pamphlets
published between 1765 and 1776] |
E 209 .P3 |
|
A Proclamation for the More Effectual Reducing and Suppressing
of Pirates and Privateers in America. |
click
here |
| Publications
of the Champlain Society [primary sources on
New France; to locate these, search Publications of the Champlain
Society as a title in the online catalog AND also
search Champlain Society as an author] |
connect
to the online catalog |
| Puritan
Sermon in America, 1630-1750: Facsimile Introductions. 4 v. |
BV
4241 .P83 |
| Records
of the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England. [1633-1692].
12 v. |
F
68 .N55 1968 |
| Records
of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New
England. 10 v. |
F
76 .R292 |
| Records
of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England.
5 v. in 6. |
F
67 .M32 1853 |
| Samuel
Wiseman's Book of Record: The Official Account of Bacon's Rebellion
in Virginia. |
F
229 .W84 2005 |
| Sovereignty
and Goodness of God: Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises
Displayed: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and Related Documents. |
reserve
E 87 .R894 1997 |
| Winthrop,
John. A Short Story of the Rise, Reign, and Ruin of the Antinomians,
Familists, and Libertines that Infected the Churches of New-England
and how they were Confuted by the Assembly of Ministers There: As
also of the Magistrates Proceedings in Court against Them: Together
with God's Strange Remarkable Judgements from Heaven upon some of
the Chief Fomenters of these Opinions: and the Lamentable Death
of Mrs. Hutchison: Very Fit for These Times, Here being the Same
Errors Amongst Us, and Acted by the Same Spirit: published at the
instant request of sundry, by one that was an eye and ear-witness
of the carriage of matters there. 1692. |
click
here |
Wilt
Thou Go on my Eerrand?: Journals of Three 18th Century Quaker Women
Ministers : Susanna Morris, 1682-1755; Elizabeth Hudson,
1722-1783; Ann Moore, 1710-1783.
|
BX
7793 .W55 1994 |
| Women
and Social Movements. A growing collection of
primary source documents, 1600-present. |
click
here |
Return
to Top
Home
| Research | Library Services
| General Information | Smith
Libraries & Collections | Need Help?
|
|
Smith
College Libraries, Northampton, MA 01063 | [413] 585-2902
TheLibraries'Webmaster@smith.edu
Copyright © 2006 Smith College Libraries. All Rights Reserved.
Last
Updated:
March 13, 2008
|
|
|
