Weather Update
Due to the storm, Barnard College will close at 4pm today, for non-essential personnel. “Essential personnel" include staff in Facilities, Public Safety and Residence Halls.
Friday evening and weekend classes are cancelled but events are going forward as planned unless otherwise noted. The Athena Film Festival programs are also scheduled to go forward as planned but please check http://athenafilmfestival.com/ for the latest information.
Please be advised that due to the conditions, certain entrances to campus may be closed. The main gate at 117th Street & Broadway will remain open. For further updates on college operations, please check this website, call the College Emergency Information Line 212-854-1002 or check AM radio station 1010WINS.
3:12 PM 02/08/2013
What is a primary source?
A primary source is material that provides firsthand evidence of a historic topic or event. They are created by an actual witness or one who experienced the event that was recorded.
It is:
- Usually an individual account, with the personal viewpoint of the author
- Usually not formally published, although published documents can be a primary source if they come from the time period that is being discussed, and was written by someone with firsthand knowledge of the event
- An autobiography, memoir, or oral history that was captured later in life
Types of primary sources:
- Audio and video recordings
- Autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories
- Government documents, court records, and census bureau data
- Laws, statutes, and regulations
- Letters
- Literary manuscripts
- Maps
- Memos and other reports created by an organization
- Newspaper and magazine articles (written at the time)
- Personal journals or diaries
- Photographs and pieces of art
- Physical artifacts (furniture, clothing, tools)
- Posters and postcards
What is a secondary source?
A secondary source is material that interprets or comments on a historical event after it has passed.
It is:
- Created by someone who did not experience the historical event firsthand.
- Created with a reader or audience in mind
- Usually formally published
Types of secondary sources:
- Biographies
- Commentaries and criticisms
- Histories
- Reference sources
- Scholarly journals and articles
- Textbooks
Primary vs. Secondary Sources Here at Barnard
| Topic | Primary Source | Secondary Source |
|---|---|---|
| Student life at Barnard College |
Alma Mater: design and experience in the women's colleges from their nineteenth-century beginnings to the 1930s by Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz |
|
| Founding of Barnard College |
Personal Papers and Collections Of Annie Nathan Meyer Barnard Beginnings by Annie Nathan Meyer |
Annie Nathan Meyer: Barnard godmother and Gotham gadfly by Myra Gallant Goldenberg
|
| Margaret Mead |
Biographical Files of Margaret Mead Photographs of Margaret Mead |
Margaret Mead, a life by Jane Howard |
When would I use a primary source? What is the value of using a primary source?
- Explore documentation (words and images) from direct participants or witnesses . . . firsthand knowledge of events
- Discover information that has not been previously written about
- Read documentation that has been not interpreted by others
- Discover different participant perspectives without interpretation from other
Where do I find a primary source?
Here are a few places to find primary source materials . . .
o List of Collections & Records
o Description of Manuscripts and Collections
o Catablog – a more detailed description of collections
o CLIO – for a catalog record of collection (enter <barnard college archives> in search box)
o For additional images and use of images contact Astrid Cravens, Image Archivist
o For textual materials contact Marcia Bassett, College Archivist
o To view archival material in person, it is highly recommended to set up an appointment in advance of arrival. Additionally review the details about conducting research at Barnard before arrival.
- Columbia University Libraries
o Archival Collections Portal – Columbia institutional records, personal papers of Barnard alumnae and administration, corporate archives, personal papers for those unaffiliated with Columbia, and many other types of materials.
- New York State Archives, New York State Museum & New York State Library
o The Digital Collections – photographs, textual materials, artifacts, government documents, manuscripts, and other materials held by New York State Archives, New York State Museum & New York State Library
- The Library of Congress
o American Memory – “digital record of American history and creativity” from the Library of Congress and other institutions
How do I cite a primary source?
To cite a material from the Barnard College Archives, use the citation guide.
Your professor or the archival instituation may have a preferred way they would like you to cite primary sources.
