Primary SourcesWhat are primary sources? What are Primary Sources?Primary sources were either created during the time period being studied, or were created at a later date by a participant in the events being studied (as in the case of memoirs) and they reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer. Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period. General Search StrategiesTo find most library materials except articles, use a library catalog. Catalogs include books, government documents, maps, videotapes, sound recordings, music scores and many other types of materials. Catalogs also list collections of manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and records of organizations, but they do not list individual items in those collections. Primary sources may be in their original format or may have been reproduced at a later date in a different format, such as a book, microfilm collection, video, or on the Internet. All of these formats including some Internet sources can be found by searching library catalogs. For important advice on finding and evaluating primary sources on the Internet, see Using Primary Sources on the Web. To find magazine, journal or newspaper articles: use an article database or index. Before you start searching it may be useful to find some background information on your topic.
TopFinding most library materials- use library catalogsTo search library catalogs for materials on a particular topic, learn to use Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), the standardized terms used by most libraries. To determine the appropriate subject headings for your topics, you may:
You may also pair an appropriate heading with specific subheadings that identify materials as primary sources. Some of these subheadings are:
Examples:
Note: these subheadings will not retrieve all possible primary sources but they are a good way to start. Pathfinder is the catalog for most UC Berkeley libraries. You may search by title keywords, official subject headings, names of authors, organizations as authors, and more. You may also limit your searches by date of publication, format (videos, manuscripts, etc.), language, and library location. Search results may be saved to a list and e-mailed to your e-mail account. See search strategies above for more details. MELVYL is the catalog for the nine UC campuses. Again, you may search by title keywords, official subject headings, names of authors, organizations as authors, and more. You may also limit your searches by date of publication, format (videos, manuscripts, etc.), language, and campus. Search results may be saved to a list and e-mailed to your e-mail account. See search strategies above for more details. To find articles - use an article database or indexTo find magazine, journal or newspaper articles: use an article database or index. An index lists articles by topic. Some indexes come in the form of printed volumes; when they are online they are often known as article databases. Some (not all) article databases link to the full text of articles. To find article databases, start with the Library home page; under the Find Information tab, click on Articles to find lists of databases by subject, title, and type. Look carefully at the description of each database. Note what years of publication are included, what types of materials are included, and whether the database covers a particular academic discipline (such as History) or whether it is interdisciplinary. Start with a keyword search, using a few key terms. Enter phrases (example: spanish-american war), or two or more key terms connected by "and" (example: disabled and berkeley). Look at the full version of relevant records to find official subject terms (also known as descriptors) to use in a subject search. Ask for assistance at a library reference desk. Once you have used an index to find a relevant citation, you need to
find the text of the item. Some online indexes include links to full text.
In some online indexes you may click on the Selected list of periodical indexes that may list primary sources (search Pathfinder for the library locations of printed indexes): Newspaper indexes:
Periodical indexes:
See the Library web site for a list of other article databases by subject. There is also a guide in the Periodicals/Newspapers/Microforms Room listing newspapers by year, so that once you have the date for a newsworthy event, you can go to virtually any paper likely to cover the story. Use manuscript and other special collections on campusCampus collections of manuscripts, original diaries and letters and other archival materials include The Bancroft Library, among others. Before you go to any special collection on campus, search Pathfinder or MELVYL using the search strategies listed above. Look to see if the collection has a finding aid; some finding aids list the contents of collections, box by box, folder by folder; others are less detailed. Many Bancroft finding aids are online via the Online Archive of California. Finding Background InformationReference works and secondary sources can help you find background information on your topic, including names, dates and other information you can use to search library catalogs and article databases/indexes. 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. Examples include scholarly or popular books and articles, reference books, and textbooks. To find secondary sources in book form, search the library catalogs. To find articles that are secondary sources, search an article database/index such as Historical Abstracts or America: History and Life. Ask for assistance at a library reference desk. Ask for assistance at any time with research, with locating library materials, or with any aspect of using the library. |
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