ENG101: College Writing (Food) (Benson)
Primary Sources Based on Academic Discipline
Examples of Primary Sources
- Diaries or journals (published or unpublished)
- Letters, correspondence or other personal communications
- Public documents such as deeds, marriages license or certificates
- Newspapers and weekly newsmagazines (offering contemporaneous reporting of events)
- Radio and television transcripts and wire reports
- Speeches in print or audio formats
- Court cases
- Legislative reports, bills and laws
- Census data
- Government Documents
- Maps
- Art works such as paintings, prints or photographs
- Museum artifacts
- Interviews or oral histories
- Works of literature such as fiction, poetry or drama
- Statistics including opinion polls
Search for Primary Sources from These Online Collections
What is Provenance?
The online collections below might lead you to a useful primary source. Once you have found what looks like an interesting collection, what is your next step? According to Richard Pearce-Moses of the Society of American Archivists, researchers "will look critically at where the information comes from. They want to be confident that the sources they have found e.g. scanned images, are reliable and represent an accurate depiction of the original document. Determining the origin or source of an item is referred to as “provenance.” The Society of American Archivists defines provenance as the “information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection.”1
- Biblioboard LibraryDigital library offers unlimited, multi-user access to a growing assortment of rich historical and locally curated multimedia content. Modules contain multiple anthologies, which may contain books, images, and primary sources. Featuring interesting digital exhibits from a wide range of partners, this ensures global access to the some of the best digital storytelling exhibits on a mobile-friendly platform.
- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History"The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History is funded by the Heilbrunn Foundation, New Tamarind Foundation, and Zodiac Fund. The Timeline of Art History presents the Met’s collection via a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of global art history. Targeted at students and scholars of art history, it is an invaluable reference, research, and teaching tool."
- Library of Congress: American Memory ProjectRich, searchable database of written and spoken word, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
- National Archives Research"The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever."
- Pew Research CenterPew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.
- Smithsonian's Collections"The Smithsonian's collections represent our nation's rich heritage, art from across the globe, and the immense diversity of the natural and cultural world. "
