Primary Sources

There is a strategy to finding primary sources that you need to keep in mind. Because you are searching for resources that were made in a particular time, you will need to be specific in your research strategy.

When you start your research, ask yourself a few things:

What time/event/person am I researching?
In general, the older something is, the less information there is about it. This isn't always true, but it's a good general rule. So, if you're looking at 100 years ago or 500 years ago, there will be more information from 100 years ago.

What kinds of resources would have the information I'm looking for? 
At the beginning, just think generally to give yourself a direction to go in. If you're researching a person, you probably want papers or manuscripts associated with that person. If you want images, you probably want drawings or paintings. If you want news, you might look at newspapers.

Where can I search for primary sources about my topic?
Now that you've answered the first questions, you can hopefully answer this one. Once you have a topic and an idea of kinds of resources, you can hopefully start looking for where to find primary sources. You have two main options: original item and copies (published physical copies or online scans). You can read more about these options below.

Image Source

Digitized primary sources are a great way for you to use them without having to track down the originals. It also means there's less wear and tear on the originals because fewer people are handling them.

There are countless initiatives to digitize primary sources. Many of these institutions hold these items, such as libraries (including the BPL!) and museums, and other organizations have made digitization their missions, such as HathiTrust. These resources can help you get started finding primary sources.

Also, remember that Google is a great place to search for digitization projects. Searching for "George Washington digital collection" or even "George Washington primary sources" will give you a variety of results. For example, you might find George Washington's papers at the Library of Congress  and the Washington Library in Mount Vernon.

Remember to check where the information comes from to see if it's reliable. Websites ending in .edu are educational (such as colleges and universities), and websites ending in .gov are from the government (such as the Library of Congress at loc.gov). If the website ends in something else, take a look at their "about us" page to see where the information comes from.

If what you want to see isn't online, you can look at a hard copy resource at a museum, library, archives, or other institution. What is a "hard copy"? That just means it's a physical item that you can see in person. That can mean it's the original primary source or a copy, but either way, it's a source you have to travel to see.

Image Source: The Jones Library, UMass Amherst

How do I find out what place I should visit?
This can be a difficult question to answer. If you are researching a person, event, or time period, one method is to find an institution with a collection of items that covers your topic. It is unlikely you will know exactly which item you want to see from the beginning. You will probably pick an institution and search their catalog and/or ask their staff for assistance.

Below are a list of methods to finding institutions for primary sources.

Start with what you know. If you already know somewhere that sounds a little helpful, even if it's not perfect for your topic, that's a great place to start! This could be us at the BPL, your university librarian, or your professor. You might also know of an institution, such as another college library that specializes in a similar topic. Many times, even if they're not the final person you should be talking to, they can help guide you in the right direction. They can tell you what they have to help and of other places to try next.

Look at collections online. If you want to do a general search of collections online, there are two websites you might find helpful:

• ​WorldCat.- A collection of records from around the world, including books, serials (such as newspapers and journals), and DVDs.
• ArchiveGrid - A collection of detailed archival material descriptions, mostly from the United States.
• The difference between these two links is that ArchiveGrid mostly contains archival materials, meaning they will be unique items. WorldCat contains items that were published.

If you want to do a broad search, such as just to find institutions in a city that have an archives, you could use a search engine like Google. Just keep in mind this will be a broad search, and you will not see individual items. You could then narrow you focus and then look at the institutions you think will fit your research.

What do I do once I find a place I want to visit?
You probably want to contact the place you want to visit ahead of time. At the very least, take a look at any "about" or "visit" pages that tell you their visit policies. Institutions like archives and libraries will sometimes have to get items for you, you might need to get a library card, and sometimes collections are unavailable. It's a good idea to make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you go.

If you email or call ahead of time, the ideal is a week or two, but give them at least a few business days' notice.
Tell them:

• A summary of the project you're working on
• Any specific collections you're interested in seeing (provide links in their catalog, if that's available)
• If you don't have any specific collections, ask for suggestions
  • When asking for suggestions, you can do two things:
  • 1. Tell them the kinds of items you want to see (Ex: letters, newspapers, books) and/or
  • 2. Tell them the kinds of information you're looking for (Ex: information about Paul Revere's life after the Revolutionary War)
• Any deadlines you have, such as when you're coming to visit or when a draft is due