A: Reference books, like encyclopedias and dictionaries, are primarily for use within the library space.
In the Upper School Library, reference books may be borrowed for a maximum of 3 days.
If books (whether reference or not) are reserved for a project, they cannot be checked out unless given direct permission from the librarian staff.
A: Primary Sources are original documents or accounts created at the time of an historical event or era. Memoirs, oral histories, and interviews are considered primary sources when they record direct eyewitness accounts to an event or era.
Types of primary sources include:
These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research.
Secondary sources comment upon, explain, or interpret primary sources. They may include scholarly books, journal and magazine articles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, reviews, and textbooks. Keep in mind that, like any good retelling, the closer a secondary source is to the primary information, the more accurate.
Together, primary and secondary sources make up the key element of quality research.
Source: ALA's Reference and User Service Association
Primary materials need to be carefully read and interpreted. Some questions to ask include:
For more explanation on how to use and interpret primary sources see these links:
A: Primary source materials can be found in a number of ways at the Prescott Library. All novels are primary sources (that's the entire FIC section) as are any other original, creative works in our collection.
Many of our Reference books include primary sources including US Immigration and Migration, Milestone Documents in American History and the Encyclopedia of World History. In a multi-volume set, one volume is often set aside for relevant primary documents.
Books in the Opposing Viewpoints series like The Vietnam War: Opposing Viewpoints present conflicting points of view from the time period. Books that include memoirs, speeches, & eyewitness accounts will also provide primary source material.
For library Databases and online resources listed in research LibGuides, look for this yellow quotation mark. Anytime this symbol is shown, that particular database or website contains primary source documents. ProQuest's Historical Newspapers, Oxford's African American Studies Center, EBSCO's Literary Reference Center, and Gale's Science in Context are just a few of our subscription databases with Primary Sources. Look for the yellow quote.
Many libraries and academic institutions are also digitizing their collections which allows online access to more and more primary sources. Here are a few great places to explore:
A: You can access ARTStor from any location on campus.
For OFF CAMPUS access, you must Login using a personal Email address and Password.
This means that while you are on campus you need to create your own personal account.
A: You can access JStor from any location on campus.
For OFF CAMPUS access, you need to Login using a personal MyJSTOR Username and Password.
This means that while you are on campus you need to create your own personal MyJSTOR account so you can use this login information at home.
Register for your own JStor account the next time you are on campus.
A: Most of our resources do not need any passwords to access on campus. However, when off campus, a password may be needed. You can find passwords in this document. (You will need to be logged into your wheelergmail account to read this document.)