Sometimes, a secondary source (a source that analyzes primary sources to understand why a phenomenon happened such as scholarly articles published in academic journals, research books, biographies, textbooks, etc.) can be treated as a primary source depending on the context of your research. For example, if you are doing a research study about how biology teaching has changed through time, then biology textbooks are considered a primary source.
Primary sources can be found both in libraries and archives. Many have been digitized and accessible online while others are only accessible by visiting an archive or getting a print book at the library or through Interlibrary Loan. Explore the tabs on this page to see where and how you can find and access these sources!
Caption: Crystallizing the Chicano Art Myth (detail). Photograph part of the Royal Chicano Air Force archives collection located at the UCSB Special Research Collections
Definitions:
Not all archival collection is available online, so it is important to check the finding aids first to determine if the archive has what you want to access. If you have questions or need help, please contact me!!
Explore these resources following the links below: