Primary sources are materials that were created at the time period you are studying. In the case of memoirs, they are the materials recorded later by a participant or witness of an event.
Examples of primary sources are:
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As you do background research on your topic, consider what primary sources might exist. Bibliographies you find in books and articles often mention their primary source material.
Published collections of primary sources often contain materials such as diary entries, letters, government documents, newspaper articles, speeches, and photographs.
To find collections of primary sources on a topic in the EMU Library's Esearch system:
1. Make sure you are at the Esearch "Advanced" search screen.
2. In the top box, type in a words or phrases that describe your topic.
3. In another row of search boxes, change the type of search in the drop down box from "Any Field" to "Subject."
4. In the search box for the "Subject," add one of the following search terms:
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archival resources biography correspondence diaries early works to 1800 |
facsimiles interviews letters manuscripts memoirs |
narratives notebooks oratory pamphlets |
sketchbooks sources speeches treaties |
5. OPTIONAL: To limit to books only, on the "Material Type" drop-down menu, select "Books". You can also limit to items in the library's catalog by selecting "Library Catalog" at the top of the Advanced Search screen.
6. Click on the "Search" button.