living history - finding primary sources

F I N D I N G P R I M A RY S O U RC E S

LIVING HISTORY

Presented by Gricel Dominguez, January 2013

PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY SOURCES

Primary Sources

• Any source produced when an event actually occurred… • Or by the subject of

your study.• For example, the

writings of Thomas Jefferson.

Secondary Sources

• Sources of information on and/or about the subject of your study.• Textbooks, articles,

news and magazine stories, etc.• For example, a chapter

in a textbook on the writings of Thomas Jefferson.

WHY USE PRIMARY SOURCES

• Primary sources help you support your arguments, ideas, and conclusions when exploring and researching historical events, eras, figures, and more.

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!

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.

PRIMARY SOURCES AT THE LIBRARY

What kind of primary sources are available at the University Library?

• Primary Source Databases• Documents in the

library archives • See a librarian to view

these.

Online DatabasesAvailable in the E-Research, A-Z listing

• ATLA E-Books (1300s-1893)

• ATLA E-Books (1894-1923)• Latin America & Caribbean

Portal • New York Times (1851-

2008) • Slavery Anti-slavery

Transnational Archive• USA Today (7/1/87-

Current)

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

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/Pages/AA.aspx

• And many more!

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

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 create a visual narrative.

Checkout a copy at the Circulation Desk.

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/