Digital Literacy and Reference Librarian
Anacely Lopez Murphy
She/Her/Hers
Contact:
St. Mary's University
Louis J. Blume Library
One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228-8608
Louis J. Blume Library
One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228-8608
210-436-3673
Website
What is a primary source?
A primary source is a first hand account of an event or an object or document created by a person or in a place being researched.
Primary sources are contextual.
For instance, a newspaper article may be primary source for one topic (an first hand account from the time being studied) OR if could be a secondary source (discussion of an event that occurred in the past). There is nothing inherent in a document that makes it a primary or secondary source. The content, not the format/container, determines if a item is a primary source for your topic.
"Primary sources are 'original' materials that provide you with the 'raw data' or evidence you will use to develop, test, and ultimately justify your hypothesis or claim. What kinds of material count as primary sources vary significantly by field. In history, primary sources are artifacts or documents that come directly from the period or event you are studying: letters, diaries, objects, maps, even clothing." (Booth, Craft of Research, 4th ed., p. 66)
The Craft of Research by Publication Date: 2016eBook. ProQuest.
The first six chapters are the best in looking at research as an unfolding series of questions.
Search Tips - Finding Primary Sources in Books
Discover, the Library Catalog, and many other research databases use subject terms to help identify the primary topics of a book, article, or other source. Subject searching will help you reduce the number of irrelevant sources in your results, particularly if you have a high number of results with your keyword search.
Works on U.S. foreign policy often have the subject term: United States Foreign Relations. You can add other keywords to this search or add specific subjects like the name of a country, war (Vietnam War, World War, Cold War), a century (18th century, 19th century, 20th century), etc.
To find primary sources on you topic, try searching you topic (ex: Cold War, Vietnam, September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001) in combination with one of the following words:
| Search Term | When To Use It |
| sources | generic term, often produces the most results |
| archive | use with organizations, individuals and families |
| archival resources | use with topics and geographic areas (counties, cities, etc.) |
| correspondence | use with individuals, familes, classes of people, ethnic groups |
| diaries | use with individuals and families |
| manuscripts | use with individuals |
| notebooks, sketchbooks, etc. | use with individuals |
| personal narratives | use with names of events |
| personnel records | use with organizations and military units |
| records and correspondence |
use with organizations and groups |
| speeches, addresses, etc |
use with individuals or groups |
Example Search
A search in Discover, the Library Catalog, or WorldCat on the terms "Vietnam and sources" retrieves some books that includes primary source material from the Vietnam War era.
- Discover This link opens in a new window
Blume Library's primary search tool. This robust feature helps scholars find scholarly journals and articles, books, eBooks, music, videos, government information, and more. Input the keywords of your research to generate a results list full of articles and items covering the topic. Use boolean phrases (AND, OR, NOT) and other limiters to focus a search or modify a results list. This tool searches most of the Blume Library holdings including the Library Catalog of physical items and eResources.
Learn more about this powerful resource: DISCOVER
Reach out to a Blume Librarian for research assistance: RESEARCH ASSISTANCE
- Library CatalogBlume Library catalog includes print and some eBooks.
Two Versions of Worldcat
- WorldCat Discovery This link opens in a new windowPublic WorldCat search interface. Information on the holdings of the world's libraries.
- WorldCat FirstSearch This link opens in a new windowSubscription interface. Choose this version if you want to use advanced searching techniques, including sorting by number of libraries who own an item. WorldCat provides information on the holdings of the world's libraries. The public version, designed for most users, is available online at worldcat.org and on the databases list.
Primary Sources in Middle Eastern History
General Middle Eastern History:
- Internet Islamic History SourcebookA subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks, Internet Ancient History Sourcebook, Internet Medieval Sourcebook and Internet Modern History Sourcebook, along with added texts and web site indicators.
- The Middle East 1916-2002 : A Documentary RecordA collection of documents provided by The Avalon Project from the Lilian Goldman Law Library at Yale University.
- The National Security ArchiveThe National Security Archive's continually growing collection of Electronic Briefing Books (EBBs) provide timely online access to critical declassified records on issues including U.S. national security, foreign policy, diplomatic and military history, intelligence policy, and much more. Updated frequently, the EBBs represent just a small sample of the documents in our published and unpublished collections.
- U.S Department of State - Office of the HistorianThe Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity.
Reading the Middle Ages by Call Number: PN671.S74 2003ISBN: 0786416483Publication Date: 2003-06-12Medieval literature is separated from us by so many centuries that it may seem completely foreign, both in its concerns and its techniques. However, this literature has much to say to 21st century readers and Steinberg's book demonstrates its continuing relevance and appeal. This introduction to medieval literature provides some of the cultural context that readers need to know in order to understand the literature, such as the religious orientation of the people, often deep and sincere but sometimes treated casually or subjected to intense scrutiny. The first chapter provides a brief explanation of medieval religious thought, cosmology and intellectual history.
The Modern Middle East and North Africa by Call Number: DS37.7.C53 2014ISBN: 9780195338270Publication Date: 2013-08-12Winner of the Middle East Studies Association 2013 Undergraduate Education Award Utilizing a mix of documents--including photographs, posters, diaries, diplomatic records, archival sources, and literary works--The Modern Middle East and North Africa: A History in Documents is structured around an underlying theme of unity in diversity.
The Modern Middle East by Call Number: Online - EbookISBN: 9780199262090Publication Date: 2006-06-01The Modern Middle East is a collection of translated sources covering the period from 1700 to the present. Sources include official and private archives, the periodical press, memoirs, western journalists' and travellers' accounts, literature, and official reports (including statistical data). Each document has been prefaced, translated and annotated by a specialist in the particular history and culture from which it was drawn. Enough information is provided so that every student can appreciate the value of a document and begin a further exploration either of its specific historical context or its relationship to broader themes in modern Middle Eastern history, whilst scholars will find it of value for its use in teaching and discussion.
Ottoman and Turkish History
The Ottoman World by Call Number: Online - EbookISBN: 0520972716Publication Date: 2021-11-02The Ottoman lands, which extended from modern Hungary to the Arabian peninsula, were home to a vast population with a rich variety of cultures. The Ottoman World is the first primary source reader to bring a wide and diverse set of voices across Ottoman society into the classroom. Written in many languages--not only Ottoman Turkish but also Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, and Persian--these texts, here translated, span the extent of the early modern Ottoman empire, from the 1450s to 1700.
- History of Turkey: Primary DocumentsA collection of documents curated and organized by EuroDocs provided by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.
Jewish and Palestinian History
Sephardi Lives by Call Number: Online - EbookISBN: 9780804771658Publication Date: 2014-08-27This ground-breaking documentary history contains over 150 primary sources originally written in 15 languages by or about Sephardi Jews--descendants of Jews who fled medieval Spain and Portugal settling in the western portions of the Ottoman Empire, including the Balkans, Anatolia, and Palestine. Reflecting Sephardi history in all its diversity, from the courtyard to the courthouse, spheres intimate, political, commercial, familial, and religious, these documents show life within these distinctive Jewish communities as well as between Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
The Origins of Israel, 1882-1948 by Call Number: Online - EbookISBN: 9780299284947Publication Date: 2011-12-01In 1880 the Jewish community in Palestine encompassed some 20,000 Orthodox Jews; within sixty-five years it was transformed into a secular proto-state with well-developed political, military, and economic institutions, a vigorous Hebrew-language culture, and some 600,000 inhabitants. The Origins of Israel, 1882-1948: A Documentary History chronicles the making of modern Israel before statehood, providing in English the texts of original sources (many translated from Hebrew and other languages) accompanied by extensive introductions and commentaries from the volume editors.
The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Call Number: Online - EbookISBN: 9781138047679Publication Date: 2018-07-31The Arab-Israeli conflict has been one of the most protracted and contentious disputes in modern history. This wide-ranging textbook examines the diplomatic and historical setting within which the conflict developed, from both the Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, and gives a comprehensive overview of the peace process. The new edition includes a fully revised and updated introduction and a wider selection of documents up to the first year of the Trump presidency.
Regional History
A Documentary History of Modern Iraq by Call Number: Online - EbookISBN: 9780813043609Publication Date: 2012-07-08Previously published histories and primary source collections on the Iraqi experience tend to be topically focused or dedicated to presenting a top-down approach. By contrast, Stacy Holden's A Documentary History of Modern Iraq gives voice to ordinary Iraqis, clarifying the experience of the Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Jews, and women over the past century. Through varied documents ranging from short stories to treaties, political speeches to memoirs, and newspaper articles to book excerpts, the work synthesizes previously marginalized perspectives of minorities and women with the voices of the political elite to provide an integrated picture of political change from the Ottoman Empire in 1903 to the end of the second Bush administration in 2008. Covering a broad range of topics, this bottom-up approach allows readers to fully immerse themselves in the lives of everyday Iraqis as they navigate regime shifts from the British to the Hashemite monarchy, the political upheaval of the Persian Gulf wars, and beyond. Brief introductions to each excerpt provide context and suggest questions for classroom discussion. This collection offers raw history, untainted and unfiltered by modern political framework and thought, representing a refreshing new approach to the study of Iraq.
Interlibrary Loan
If our library does not have a book or article you need, St. Mary's University students, faculty and staff may order it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Don't forget to ask a librarian for help if you have questions. Students, faculty, and staff of the Law School must contact the Law Library for Interlibrary Loan services.