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

Kendall F. WigginState Librarian

kwiggin@cslib.org