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Straight to the Source
Using Online Primary SourcesKendall F. Wiggin
Connecticut State LibrarianOctober 23, 2007
Using primary sources in research papers and projects is a
time-honored way to engage students with primary historical
materials.
What is a Primary Source
• Basically it is a First Hand Account of History– Take the Form of:• Manuscripts• Photographs• Diaries• Oral Histories• Data Sets• Videos
Where Do You Find Primary Source Materials?
– Before the Internet Found in:• Archives• Libraries• Museums• Historical Societies
– Today• Websites for all of the above• Connecticut History Online
Primary sources are available online today because of the development of technologies to scan and add metadata to original materials.
Documents and photographs were among the earliest primary sources to become accessible online.
While many students and adults think everything is now online, we are a long way from that – despite Google's goal of digitizing all the world’s knowledge.
Why use primary sources?
• Develop critical thinking skills• Understand all history is local• Acquire empathy for the human
condition• Understand the continuum of history• Consider different points of view in
analysis
Connecticut History Sources Online
• There are numerous authoritative sources– Federal Government– State Government– Libraries and Societies
Library of Congress – American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Connecticut History Online
http://www.cthistoryonline.org/
Connecticut State Library www.cslib.org
http://cslib.cdmhost.com/index.php
Connecticut Historical Society
http://www.chs.org/collections.htm
Colonial Connecticut Records
http://www.colonialct.uconn.edu/
Secondary Online Historical Resources
• Newspapers– Historical Hartford Courant on
iCONN.org
• Digitized Books
Digitized Books on Connecticut
