Primary sources documents are found in a variety of locations. The original physical items such as letters, diaries, financial documents, or photographs are most often found in archives or special collections associated with colleges, universities, museums, or historical societies. Sometimes it is necessary to make an appointment with the institution and travel there.
Sometimes these items have collected, annotated, edited and printed for publication. Microfilm of some collections are also available. Search in GLYDYS (Grafton Library DiscoverY Service) to find these items in our library. If we don't have the item, you can request it through ILL. You will find more detailed instructions on how to search for print items on this page.
Many archives and special collections are conducting ongoing efforts to digitize the items in their collections. An increasing amount of primary source material is available online. Use the Online Primary Documents tab to find a curated list of some of the largest online collections.
You can always ask a librarian for further assistance.
Try adding some of these keywords to a Library Catalog or database search!
Example: Malcolm X AND memoir
A Primary Source is a document that gives a first-hand account of an event or individual. That means the creator of the document experienced or recorded the event at the time, or very near the time that it took place.
Woodrow Wilson at Mary Baldwin College, 1912. Photo Credit: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Archives on Flickr
Examples*:
Adapted from George, Mary W. The Elements of Library Research. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.
A Secondary Source analyzes or interprets a past event to solve a research question. These sources are usually created by someone who did not experience the event first-hand.
Image credit: Rodrigo Galindez
Examples*:
*These documents may be primary depending on their function in research. Are they being used as raw data and/or first-hand evidence? If so, they are primary. Example: books on the Civil War used to support research on how scholarship of the Civil War has evolved over time.
Mary Baldwin Bluestocking, available online from 1891 to 2009
Mary Baldwin Histories
Waddell, Joseph History of Mary Baldwin Seminary 1842-1905.
Watters, Mary. History of Mary Baldwin College 1842-1942.
Menk, Patricia A. To live in time: the Sesquicentennial history of Mary Baldwin College 1842-1992.
Menk, Patricia A. Retrospect: The Tyson Years 1985-2003.
Mary Baldwin Library digitizes and makes available a variety of materials for internal and external researchers. These include MBU Graduate theses and dissertations, photographic collections, memorabilia, and more.
