Primary Sources

Identifying Primary Sources

History research typically requires you to consult primary source materials. Unfortunately, there is no one place to find primary sources, where to find primary sources is dependent on your topic.

While there isn't one place to locate primary sources, there are a few different types of places you will use to find primary sources. This guide will introduce how to use the following tools to identify primary sources:

  • Library databases

  • the Open Web, Internet, Google, etc.

  • Special Collections and Archives (including the College Archives at SMC)

Where to Find Primary Sources

Newspaper Databases

Newspapers are excellent resources for identifying primary sources. Many newspaper archives are only available through subscriptions. You will need your SMC login to access these newspapers if you are off campus.

Digital Collections

Many primary sources are found online through digital collections at colleges and universities, records from government organizations, or personal collections of historians and scholars.

An Internet search on just about any topic will bring up thousands of images and information, but the challenge is finding one from a reputable source that you can use and cite confidently. Images from a government, library, museum, or university website are often more reputable sources than those on a commercial or personal website.

Selected Web Primary Sources

Archives are collections of original unpublished, historical and contemporary material – in other words, primary sources!

The Bay Area is home to many colleges, universities, and cultural heritage institutions that have special collections and archives available for public use. While many institutions provide access to some content online, there is often more to be discovered when visiting these institutions in person.

When visiting any archive or special collection, make sure that you are prepared by:

  • Have an idea of what you are looking for. Read secondary sources and know something about your topic.
  • Note the hours of the archive or special collections reading room. Many times they are different from the library or require an appointment or have special use conditions.
  • Prioritize your requests by making plans to see the materials that will be most helpful to you first.
  • Bring appropriate supplies. Some archives and special collections do not allow outside writing instruments and paper.
  • Take thorough notes and citations, including unique identification assigned to the materials by the archives such as call numbers and collection titles.
  • Understand the archive or special collection's policy on reproductions. Do they allow smart phone photography? Do they provide access to a self-serve copier/scanner? Do you have to request copies or scans? What is their turn around time, etc?
  • Ask for assistance! The archival staff is there to help you. If you have questions, ask them.

The Saint Mary’s College Archives collects, preserves, and provides access to records, publications, and other documents pertaining to the history of the College.

The College Archives was created to collect and preserve these documents and to serve the research needs of the College community and the public. The collections include documents dating from the founding of the College in 1863 in San Francisco, through its relocation to the “Brickpile” campus in Oakland in 1889, to its move to the Moraga campus in 1928 and up to the present.

Typical topics for research in the College Archives include:

  • Background information and photographs of famous sports figures such as Coach Slip Madigan, football great Herman Wedemeyer, baseball Hall of Famer Harry Hooper, basketball standouts Tom Mescherry and Peter Thibeaux, and professional baseball stars Tom Candiotti and James Mouton.
  • History of the College’s incorporation of liberal arts and the development of the Collegiate Seminar program.
  • Student unrest and demands leading to the current 4-1-4 calendar, coeducation, diversity student recruitment and faculty hiring.
  • Navy Pre-Flight School presence on campus during World War II.
  • Family and Alumni History

The College Archives is located on the third floor of Saint Albert Hall Library. Access the the College Archives is available by appointment only. Email the College Archives at archives@stmarys-ca.edu.

The College Archives catalog is incomplete but can be searched online at stmarys.libraryhost.com/.

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