Locating Primary Sources on the Web

Searching for Primary Sources Online

(http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-tips-for-smarter-more-efficient-internet-searching/)

• Use unique, specific terms

• Use quotation marks for exact phrases

• Don't use common words and punctuation

• Customize your search

  • The minus operator (-): Eliminates results with phrase specified

  • The plus operator (+):  Eliminate stop words by using (+) instead of "and" 

  • The tilde operator (~): Return results that use synonyms

• ​Utilize faceting*

Google Results

Determining trustworthy sites on the web

• Who is responsible for the website?
  • Contact info, an "About" page, credentials
• Is there a clear purpose or reason for the site?
  • Who sponsors the page? What is the agenda?
• Determine the origin of the primary source
  • Does the site give metadata vouching for the item's authenticity? 
• What do others say about the web site?
  • Has it been reviewed elsewhere on the web?

What Is Faceting?

"Faceted search is the dynamic clustering of items or search results into categories that let users drill into search results (or even skip searching entirely) by any value in any field."

"What is faceted search?"  

Digital Public Library of America

(http://dp.la/search)

Library Guides

• A library guide (or subject guide) is a list of resources created (usually) by librarians to assist students with their research needs.  Can include books, journals, databases, websites, etc. 

• Some examples:

  • MSU Cold War History Reference Guide 

    (http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/ColdWarHistory​)

  • Tufts Cold War & International History Guide

    (http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/content.php?pid=100365&sid=1074767)

  • Emory U. Cold War and Foreign Policy Guide 

    (http://guides.main.library.emory.edu/c.php?g=50465&p=325136​)

Cultural Heritage Databases

• University Libraries

• Museums

• Special Public Libraries

• Government Agencies

JFK Presidential Library

Official Government Documents

Foreign Relations of the United States

(http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/FRUS)

(Hein Online)

(http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments)

History Lab: State Department Cables

(http://www.history-lab.org/tools)

declassified Government Documents

Freedom of INformation Act Virtual Reading Room

(http://foia.state.gov/Search/Search.aspx)

The National Security Archive

(HTTP://WWW2.GWU.EDU/~NSARCHIV/NSAEBB/NSAEBB355/INDEX.HTM)

Digital National Security Archive

(HTTP://NSARCHIVE.CHADWYCK.COM/HOME.DO)

Presidential Libraries

The Truman Library:

Ideological Foundations of the Cold War

(HTTP://WWW.TRUMANLIBRARY.ORG/WHISTLESTOP/STUDY_COLLECTIONS/COLDWAR/INDEX.PHP?ACTION=DOCS)

The JFK Library: The Cold War in Berlin

(HTTP://WWW.JFKLIBRARY.ORG/JFK/JFK-IN-HISTORY/THE-COLD-WAR-IN-BERLIN.ASPX​)

LBJ Library: National Security Action Memos

(http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/NSAMs/nsamhom.asp)

Nixon Library: Presidential Daily Diary

(http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/virtuallibrary/documents/dailydiary.php)

Jimmy Carter Library & Museum

(http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/digital_library/)

The woodrow Wilson International Center for scholars

The Wilson Center:

Cold War International History Project

(http://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/cold-war-international-history-project)

Wilson Center Digital Archive:  Cold War History

(http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/theme/cold-war-history)

New Documents from Closed Cuban Archives

(http://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/visions-freedom-new-documents-the-closed-cuban-archives)

University Resources

Cold War Studies at Harvard

(HTTP://PROJECTS.IQ.HARVARD.EDU/COLDWARSTUDIES/HOME)

Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System

(HTTP://HCL.HARVARD.EDU/COLLECTIONS/HPSSS/INDEX.HTML)

Miscellaneous Projects

Parallel History Project

(HTTP://WWW.PHP.ISN.ETHZ.CH/)

The Fall

(HTTP://WWW.USSRFALL.COM/)

Sandino Rebellion

(http://www.sandinorebellion.com/)

Citing Electronic Sources

(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/)

• Your citations should include as much of the following information as possible

  • Author and/or editor names (if available)

  • Title of the website, project, or book in italics

  • Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or issue numbers.

  • Date you accessed the material.

  • URL 

Your Citation Should Look Something Like This:

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Museo National del Prado. Web. 22 May 2006.

Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York.The Artchive. Web. 22 May 2006.