Primary sources are documents and records that were created at the time of an historical event or created by someone who witnessed or experienced that historical event.
Examples of primary sources include (but are not limited to):
Audio Visual
Images and Art
Material Culture
Many of these items can also be secondary sources. The key distinction is when it was created or by whom in relation to the historical event.
Example:
Newspaper articles about the election of Susanna M. Salter who, when elected in 1887, became simultaneously the first woman mayor of Argonia, KS and the first woman mayor in the United States.
1. Newspaper article written in 1887 -- primary source, written at the time of the historical event.
2. Newspaper article written in 1961 when Salter died, describing her role in history -- secondary source, written after the fact, by someone who did not witness her term in office.
3. Newspaper article written in 1920 that included interviews with Salter and other residents of Argonia during her term-- the interviews can be primary sources because the people experienced the historical event.
These sites are digital archives of primary sources. Search by person, place, event, or object.
This is just a sampling of the primary source databases and websites that exist.
If you can't find what you are searching for, Ask a Librarian or contact the librarian for this course, Sara K. Kearns.
Tip 1. Search using the language and terms used during the event you are studying. Primary source materials are historical and cultural and use words and phrases that might be particular to that time or cultural group. A database or website is more likely to find sources that match your search if your language matches the language used in the documents.
Tip 2. Because primary sources are records of particular times, places, and people, you may encounter language and images that are offensive. We do not condone the language and images, but do recognize that they are part of our history and provide insight into the lives of people and cultures.
These digital archives cover all aspects of U.S. history and are a great place to start your search. Due to the high number of items in these archives, you may need to limit your results by date or format.
Free resource
DPLA offers a one-stop site to search digital collections from cultural institutions across the United States. Materials include photographs, maps, letters, diaries, among other cultural artifacts.
K-State Libraries supports our students, faculty, and staff by purchasing or subscribing to resources like these databases with primary source and archival collections.
This is a sample of databases that are most relevant to your final project. See a complete list of primary source databases to which K-State Libraries subscribes.
Publication Dates Covered: 1851-2021 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Digitized version of The New York Times since its first issue in 1851. Search the full text of articles to find articles on a wide variety of topics. Full name of the database is ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index.
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Search Congressional hearings, public issues, legislation, and legal research. Includes the full-text of detailed information about Congress, expert testimony on the leading issues of the day, and federal regulations. Includes Serial Set and American State Papers. (Formerly LexisNexis Congressional).
Publicly available digital archives are free for the end-user to access, so long as you have a device and the Internet. This means that the cost of creating and maintaining the archive is born by the organization that hosts it. They may use grants, taxes, donors, and/or volunteers to fund the archive.
You can discover many digital archives in the collections listed on this page. The Digital Public Library of America (link above) is especially useful for discovering collections because museums, libraries, and archives from across the United States submit their materials. When you find a particularly useful item, look to see where it is from and follow the links to explore more.
Other search tips:
Know the names of related agencies, laws, states/cities, or administrators can help located digital archives or primary sources. Your class notes, secondary sources and, yes, Wikipedia, can help you identify these names. Become familiar with important dates, too. This can help you when you are trying to decide which House bill (HB) is the one you need to focus on.
Examples:
Primary sources in the 21st first century will include types of information from prior centuries, plus digital content from social media and websites.
Because we're looking at primary sources for recent events, it can sometimes be hard to identify what counts as a primary source. A primary source is one that presents the first-hand experience or perspective of a person or organization. One way to distinguish a primary source from a secondary source is by asking, "Who/what stated it for the first time?" (primary source) and "Who/what re-stated it?" (secondary source.) They can take many forms including:
Some sources can be either primary or secondary sources, depending on how you use them. These include:
Digital content can quickly appear and be edited, manipulated and duplicated across many sites; and just as quickly disappear.
Your first goal is to get as close to the original source as possible. Don't rely on re-posted content. Go to the creator's social media feed, website, YouTube channel, etc...
Not sure if the image or video has been changed or who might have originally posted it? When was it first posted? Who posted it originally? Try the tools below. Find more tools as explained in Molly Stellino's article "9 tools to identify fake images and videos" on the Arizona State University News Co/Lab blog.
These collections focus on preserving and sharing records of social movements and protests. Their materials may include film, audio, pamphlets, newsletters, handwritten notes, and more.
These collections focus on specific legislation, policies, and regulations that impact people of color.
Due to copyright, I can't link you to a lot of databases with free access to films and television shows. We do have some streaming video databases that might have relevant movies for your project. Due to the way our subscriptions work, you can only view the videos we have purchased access to.
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Delivers more than 66,000 video titles spanning the widest range of subject including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music and more. More than 14,000 titles are exclusive to this database. It includes every kind of video material available with curricular relevance: documentaries, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, field recordings, raw footage and thousands of award-winning films. Further information on films and usage is available.
These sites provide data and context for popular culture.
