Primary Sources

Primary sources are generally considered to be firsthand accounts of an event or the actual documents associated with an event. Firsthand accounts can be found in diaries, memoirs, letters, speeches, autobiographies, scholarly articles giving the results of research, etc. Documents might be laws, treaties, transcripts of hearings, court cases, etc.

Here's how to find them in the Library.

Firsthand accounts

Speeches, letters, journals, diaries, etc. of an individual may be found by looking in the Library Catalog for the name of that person as an author.
            stanton, elizabeth cady
            nehru
            lewis, meriwether

Books which are collections of personal stories or reminiscences of an event are listed with the subdivision PERSONAL NARRATIVES. Do a keyword search in the Library Catalog.
korean war and personal narratives
depression and 1929 and personal narratives

The Library also has a large collection of microform which are primary sources. Many of these are listed in the Library Catalog. You might find it useful to look at the list of sources to see what is available. For example:

American Women's Diaries: Firsthand accounts of the lives, contributions, and thoughts of women from the colonial period through the turn of the 20th century.

Columbia Oral History Collection: More than 1000 memoirs by 20th-century political, social, media, scientific, artistic, and economic leaders.

Africa Through Western Eyes: Diaries, records of explorers, missionaries, etc.

Documents

Books that are collections of various documents from a particular country will have the word SOURCES as part of the subject in the Library Catalog. Use s:sources as part of your keyword search. You can also search for a particular event in the same way.
            united states and history and civil war and s:sources
            cold war and s:sources
            persian gulf war and s:sources

Laws, hearings, court cases, etc. can be found in LexisNexis. The Library has a guide to help you use this source most effectively.

Many government documents are available on the Internet. The University of Louisville has a very nice Web site with links to Historical Documents. The University of Oklahoma College of Law has an excellent chronological list with links, beginning with pre-colonial times.

Business Reports

Annual reports and SEC filings of a business can be considered a primary source. These are found on LexisNexis (select Business from the list on the left panel).

Research Results

Results of research are published in scholarly journals. To find them you must use an appropriate subject periodical index. Look at the Library's subject list of databases to find the ones appropriate for your topic.

For help, come by the Reference Desk, call 785-4051, or Ask-A-Librarian by e-mail.