Primary Source
A document written or a physical object created during the time and place under study. Primary sources offer scholars a contemporary or inside view of events and can include creative works, relics or artifacts, as well as documents. In general, instructors will accept a translation of a primary text as a primary text if you are unable to read the original language.
Secondary Source
An interpretation or analysis of one or more primary sources. Secondary sources look back on the time or events under study. They may include representations of or quotations from primary sources.
Generally, both primary and secondary resources are found in archives while special collections and library collections are mostly comprised of secondary resources.
In the Hood archives, most items are primary sources, but not all primary sources are housed in the archives. The library houses primary source collections on microfilm and on online databases. HIghlights are listed below, and library staff can assist you with finding additional resources.
Finding the right primary sources takes time. Some sources will provide key information, some provide supporting information, and sometimes sources will provide conflicting information to your working thesis. If you are working on a research project, it is recommended to visit the archives several times. You should reserve at least an hour's time for each session; you may not need it, but scheduling quick visits is not going to yield good results.
Primary sources have different types of value. It is important not to neglect one type of value when searching for a "gold nugget" of information. While archives can hold startling information and new stories, searching only for these stories will leave you frustrated. And sometimes finding out what information is missing is very significant to your research. Below are value definitions from the Society of American Archivists:
Understanding the value nuances of archival material will help with your research. For instance, a simple pamphlet that shows evidence of a LGBTQ+ meeting on campus in the 1990s will help provide evidence about LGBTQ+ activities during that decade - even if the pamphlet itself has limited information such as a very small blurb showing a time and meeting space only.
Books and media are found in libraries by using the library catalog or OneSearch. Unlike books however, each piece of paper or object in an archival collection is not documented in a catalog. To be effective, this work would take a decade for a simple collection of 5 linear feet. Rather than a catalog, archives use finding aids for collections.
Finding aids can be rudimentary or comprehensive. A simple finding aid for a collection is a box contents listing, where each folder is listed. A fully-fledged finding aid will have: