LibGuides: American Literature: Primary Sources

Handouts

Primary Vs Secondary
Primary Sources Online

Primary vs Secondary Sources Handout
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Primary Sources Online
Where to find primary sources for American Literature.

Primary Sources

Primary Vs Secondary
Primary Sources Online

Primary Sources

Primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to the original idea/event. These types of sources may include creative works, first hand or contemporary accounts of events, published results of empirical observation or studies and other forms that may form the basis for further research.

Examples:

· Novels, plays, poems, films, works of art, works of popular culture

· Diaries, personal letters, autobiographies, memoirs, speeches

· Government documents, patents

· Data sets, technical reports, experimental research results

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources analyze, review or restate information in a primary source or other secondary source. Even sources providing facts or descriptions about events are considered secondary if they are not based on direct observation or participation. Secondary sources often rely on other secondary sources to reach results. Secondary sources provide the principle analytical sources of primary sources.

Examples:

· Literary criticism

· Biographies

· Scholarly articles that don’t present new experimental research results

· Review articles and literature reviews

· Historical studies

Tertiary Sources

Tertiary sources synthesize information gathered from other sources to provide an overview of a topic, event or idea. Tertiary sources often provide information in a convenient, easily digestible format. Tertiary sources are excellent for learning about a topic but are typically not recommended as support for a research paper or essay.

Examples:

· Encyclopedias

· Wikipedia

· Almanacs

· Textbooks

Information adapted from The University of Pennsylvania Libraries Penn Online Research Tutorial http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/PORT/sources/primary_secondary_tertiary.html

Internet Public Library - Literature Resources A mega-site collecting links to other resources in a variety of subject areas compiled by student and volunteer library and information science professionals. Take a look at the literature and U.S. history lists in particular. General link - http://www.ipl.org/
Library of Congress - American Memory Collection American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
Making of America - Cornell University Making of America is a collaborative effort from Cornell University and the University of Michigan to digitize primary sources on American history from Antebellum America through the Reconstruction Era. The University of Michigan collection focuses on books published from 1850-1877. The University of Cornell collection primarily contains material from books and journals dating from 1840-1900.
Making of America - University of Michigan Making of America is a collaborative effort from Cornell University and the University of Michigan to digitize primary sources on American history from Antebellum America through the Reconstruction Era. The University of Michigan collection focuses on books published from 1850-1877. The University of Cornell collection primarily contains material from books and journals dating from 1840-1900.
Modern American Poetry Modern American Poetry aims to provide "a single clearinghouse for some of the best criticism on the best poets of our time." The site includes biographical information, bibliographies, criticism, commentary, and links to online copies of works on major modern American poets.
University of Pennsylvania – Literature & Culture of the American 1950s A mega-site providing links to primary sources dealing with American life in the 1950s with a focus on McCarthyism and the Cold War.
Harvard University – Women Working, 1800-1930 Women Working is a digital exploration of women's impact on the economic life of the United States between 1800 and the Great Depression. Working conditions, workplace regulations, home life, costs of living, commerce, recreation, health and hygiene, and social issues are among the issues documented in this online research collection from Harvard University.
Old Magazine Articles It’s not just a clever name, the site provides exactly what its name suggests, articles from old magazines. The site is a labor of love from an old magazine enthusiast. As a result, the collection reflects the whims of the collector and whatever he/she was able to find and publish. It is intended as primary source material for research in the eras represented.
University of Houston – Digital History This Web site was designed and developed to support the teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges. It highlights events in history of the U.S. from the time of the indigenous people to the present, using digitized documents and multimedia content.
University of North Carolina – Documenting the South Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.
ICON – Newspaper Digitization – United States This website provides links to various digitization project of historical newspapers. The project lists digitization projects, not necessarily full-text collections. Items with a $ next to them require a subscription to access while items without are free to access. Some of these links are not very easy to search.