From the Source

Students are back in school and reference desks across the system have been busy. Often when students are working on their History Day projects they need to cite primary sources.

The definition of a primary source sometimes loses something in the translation when passed from teacher to student to parent. UCLA gives a great list of examples with a definition of primary sources. When students are told to use a primary source they seem confused or frustrated when we try to show them to the Primary Sources database page. They are expecting a crumbling stack of newspapers from the Civil War or recordings of FDR's Fireside Chats.

Many of these items are accessible through our databases, books or microfilm. As a teen services librarian, I am often educating patrons that databases are not websites. They are merely electronic forms of our print based materials.  Our databases page gives a subject list for students to choose proper databases.  Our newest subject area is Primary Sources.  From sources such as the New York Times Historical Backfile students will be able to read the New York Times as it appeared the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed or see actual scanned treaty documents from the American Indian History and Culture database.

Encourage your students to take advantage of these rich resources.