Primary Sources Main

Welcome to this Primary Sources Subject Guide.  The purpose of this guide is to provide you the researcher with valuable primary resources in various formats. The internet links to credible websites where primary sources have been digitally scanned and offered free to use.  In the case of the curated book list you will find some free-to-use eBook titles through HathiTrust, and other titles are owned by Florida Atlantic University Libraries.  If you are a researcher outside the Florida Atlantic University community you can always request titles through your library's Interlibrary Loan Department.   You will also find a list of primary source databases, which are only accessible to FAU Students, Faculty, or Staff or those public patrons who come physically come into the library. 

The resources that have been curated in this guide while the list may seem substantive, are by no means everything that is out there.  This guide is designed to be a living guide, meaning that resources may come and go.  If a link goes dark and cannot be replaced with a new link to the material it will be removed from the guide, that being said, if you the user come across a website and it (must be free) and think it will add value to the guide, email it to me and I will evaluate it. 

DEFINITION: A Primary Source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. 
Examples of primary sources are:

• Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, manuscripts and other papers in which individuals describe events in which they were participants or observers;
• Memoirs and autobiographies;
• Records of organizations and agencies of government;
• Published materials written at the time of the event;
• Photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures, video recordings documenting what happened;
• Artifacts of all kinds; and
• Research reports in the sciences and social sciences.

Important Note: The various print materials and web pages found in this guide COULD contain some content that may be upsetting or difficult to view.  The materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance. Remember: These materials are a reflection of the language and culture of the time period in which they were written or created.