What are Primary Sources?

A primary source is a document or even a physical object, such as a Native American basket, which was written or created during a particular time period. These first-hand sources can provide insight into that time period or event, sometimes by bringing a sense of immediacy. Primary sources are:

• Documents or objects created by its originator

• From the viewpoint of a participant or observer

• Not in interpreted or translated form

Examples:

• Newspaper articles from the library's databases of historical American newspapers
• Description of the Lewis and Clark expedition by one of the explorers on the expedition
• Diary of Anne Frank
• Magazine, newspaper articles, and ads published at a particular historical time
• A Promised Land, a memoir, written by Barack Obama
• A journal article reporting NEW research or findings
• Government documents
• Correspondence

There will be more primary sources on other pages including Websites and Library Books.