primary sources

primary sources

Dear Diary: Primary Sources at the Campus Library

Dear Diary: Primary Sources at the Campus Library

, Library Resources
One of the best primary source materials for any researcher to explore has always been diaries and letters, the first-hand account of anyone living through a particular place in time or historical event. Today, many people may not write with pen and paper, but describing the daily activities and stories of our everyday life is alive and strong via blogs, social media posts, and emails. Keeping a journal, or writing our ideas and feelings down, no matter to format, can reduce our daily worries and tension, organize our thoughts, maintain goals, and help us develop strategies for dealing with daily challenges and fears. In celebration of National “Dear Diary” Day, on September 22, the IU East Campus Library is highlighting … Continued
Firsthand Information

Firsthand Information

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
In research, it is always a good idea to examine the primary sources, and not trust another author to act as an intermediary.  Firsthand, contemporaneous accounts of anything that happens – a historic event, a scientific experiment, the minutia of day-to-day life – are irreplaceable for historians decades or even centuries later.  Their existence allows later researchers to strip away the layers of exaggeration, dimming memory, hagiography, or demonization that can build up on stories told and retold over time.  Primary sources are those created by the participants in the events that are described.  These can be diaries and journals, letters and legal contracts, even blogs and emails. The library offers numerous databases focused on primary source material from a … Continued
Curated Collections of Primary Sources

Curated Collections of Primary Sources

, Jesse Whitton, Library Resources
The IU East Campus Library subscribes to a variety of the Adam Matthew (AM) digital archives, ranging in topics from gender studies, history, and literature, to politics, advertising, and world culture. “Like” us on the IU East Campus Library Facebook page for weekly features of unique resources available via our A-Z Index, such as these highlights. View works by some of Europe’s earliest film pioneers and innovators, such as Alice Guy- Blaché, the first female filmmaker while glimpsing into the lives of late Victorians and Edwardians captured on film through the Victorians on Film database. During Europe’s Edwardian era, the United States experienced the Gilded Age, and the Gilded Age was just that, Gilded. NOT Golden. From afar, all appeared golden with … Continued
Types of Research Sources

Types of Research Sources

, , , Research
Research projects may require a variety of specific sources, such as a peer reviewed article, a research study that uses quantitative methods, or a specific publication (for example, the New York Times). Library search tools can be used to hone in on special types of research material. Primary source Primary sources are created by someone who personally participated in the events described.  This typically means something slightly different in the humanities compared to in the sciences, so the ideal search strategy will depend on the nature of the class.  For humanities, primary sources include formats like letters, diaries, autobiographies, oral histories, and interviews.  Fortunately, the library offers many whole databases that specialize in this type of material.  African-American History Online, … Continued
Primary Science

Primary Science

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
The use of primary sources is a staple of academic research – these are sources created by someone involved in the matter being described.  In the humanities, these typically take the form of letters, diaries, or the like – for the historian, a diary is usually valued more than a book written by someone who wasn’t involved.  This isn’t to say that secondary sources have no worth, as those can often take a longer or more nuanced view than that of a person in the thick of things – but the value of a direct witness cannot be understated.  Numerous databases are built around these types of materials, like American Civil War: Letters and Diaries, Gale Primary Sources, or The … Continued