This guide is intended to assist students in HIS 365 America since 1940 in locating primary and secondary sources for research, as well as to assist with citation and finding help from library staff.
Primary sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects created by participants or observers at the time historical events occurred or even well after events, as in memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include but are not limited to:
These sources serve as the raw materials historians use to interpret and analyze the past.
(Definition and image: Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using, Reference and User Services Association)
Secondary Sources are texts that use primary sources, usually to offer analysis or explanation of the sources of the events during which they were produced. These sources are usually produced after-the-fact and are "one step removed" from the event or documents being discussed. Secondary examples can include by are not limited to:
These sources are the product of historians interpretation and analysis of raw materials.
The Beulah Culbertson Archives and Special Collections at Fant Memorial Library holds paper records, photographs, scrapbooks, bound volumes, and other objects that document the history and people of Mississippi University for Women, the first publicly-supported women’s college in the United States. Schedule an appointment here for more information about:
More Historical Newspapers can be found on the News Research Guide.
Archival repositories are a great source of primary sources. Here are links to major repositories in Mississippi that have digital holdings or finding aids available for consultation.
