1. LIVING HISTORY
FINDING PRIMARY SOURCES
Presented by Gricel Dominguez, January 2013
2. PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY SOURCES
Primary Sources Secondary Sources
• Any source produced • Sources of information
when an event actually on and/or about the
occurred… subject of your study.
• Or by the subject of • Textbooks, articles, new
your study. s and magazine
• For example, the writings stories, etc.
of Thomas Jefferson. • For example, a chapter in
a textbook on the writings
of Thomas Jefferson.
3. WHY USE PRIMARY SOURCES
• Primary sources help you support your
arguments, ideas, and conclusions when
exploring and researching historical
events, eras, figures, and more.
4. TYPES OF PRIMARY SOURCES
• Correspondence
• Newspaper clippings from the time
• Scrapbooks
• Diaries and Journals
• Legal and judicial documents
• Photographs and other
creative works
• Clothes and other fashions
• Objects and other implements
• And much more!
5. WHERE TO FIND PRIMARY SOURCES
• You can find primary sources at the University
Library and on the web.
• Primary sources include scans of original documents
that are available in databases or public, online
collections…
• As well as objects and
documents in a
museum, archive,
or major library.
6. PRIMARY SOURCES AT THE LIBRARY
What kind of primary Online Databases
sources are available at Available in the E-Research,
the University Library? A-Z listing
• ATLA E-Books (1300s-1893)
• ATLA E-Books (1894-1923)
• Primary Source
• Latin America & Caribbean
Databases
Portal
• Documents in the • New York Times (1851-2008)
library archives • Slavery Anti-slavery
• See a librarian to view Transnational Archive
these. • USA Today (7/1/87-Current)
7. PRIMARY SOURCES ONLINE
• Government Printing Office, FDSys:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action
• Library of Congress, American Memory Project:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
• National Archives: http://www.archives.gov
• The Flickr Commons:
http://www.flickr.com/commons/
• The National Archives Digital Vaults experience:
http://www.digitalvaults.org
• The Library of Congress Digital Collections:
http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html
8. PRIMARY SOURCES IN YOUR
COMMUNITY
• HistoryMiami (next to the Main Library, Downtown Miami)
• Miami-Dade Public Library System: Main Library
• The Cuban Heritage Collection at UM:
http://merrick.library.miami.edu/digitalprojects/chc.php
• The African American Research Library and Cultural
Center (Ft. Lauderdale):
http://www.broward.org/Library/LocationsHours/Branches/Pa
ges/AA.aspx
• And many more!
9. NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
• Visit the library for help finding the best source for
primary documents.
• Or contact us via phone or email:
• Reference: 305-628-6668
• library@stu.edu
• Gricel Dominguez: gdominguez@stu.edu
• Isabel Ezquerra: iezquerra@stu.edu
• Jonathan Roach: jroach@stu.edu
• Larry Treadwell: ltreadwell@stu.edu
10. MORE ON PRIMARY SOURCES
Stay tuned for events on
primary sources during Bobcat
Read Week in April!
The Bobcat Read Book for
Spring is…
Radioactive: A Tale of Love
and Fallout by Lauren
Redniss, a graphic novel
that uses primary sources by
Marie and Pierre Curie to
Checkout a copy at the
create a visual narrative. Circulation Desk.
11. IMAGE CREDITS
All images are available on the Flickr Commons
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3314493806/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlscotland/4699014159/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/6924988264/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/3467097987/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3797853531/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/8385170514/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridamemory/7157932542/