PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES LIBRARY LESSON

PRIMARY SOURCE Primary means: first, firsthand, direct So, a primary source is something written or created by someone who  experienced the event firsthand, personally or directly OR  lived through the event or lived during that time period

PRIMARY SOURCE EXAMPLES Diary Speech Letters Autobiography News footage Official documents/records Personal interview

OTHER EXAMPLES-PRIMARY Relics or Artifacts Creative works  Art  Music  Poetry  Drama

SPECIFIC EXAMPLES Diary of Anne Frank Declaration of Independence Actual news footage of a Civil Rights demonstration Photos of a Concentration Camp Letters from a soldier to his family Egyptian hieroglyphics Lyrics to a Lady Ga Ga song

SECONDARY SOURCE Derived from something original It interprets and analyzes primary sources In other words, it is one or more steps removed from the original source.

SECONDARY SOURCE EXAMPLES Textbook Magazine article Encyclopedias History book

WHICH IS BETTER Well it depends…..  Primary is firsthand knowledge, so it can really be good BUT  Primary sources may not be objective; lots of personal perspective

WHICH IS BETTER (CONT’D.) Secondary sources are less authoritative because they are interpreting other sources BUT Secondary sources can be  More objective  Combine information from many sources, possibly making it more thorough

REVIEW Primary - Firsthand Secondary - Secondhand (or more) What is your objective: Depending on what you are trying to achieve, you can decide if one or the other is better. Sometimes, both are great sources to use simultaneously.

EXAMPLE NPR BROADCAST South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam USS Kirk helps South Vietnamese escape in daring rescue at sea Primary sources: Listen to interviews and tape recordings Secondary sources: Reporters analyzing and summarizing the primary source info. Powerful stuff! Listen closely (about 12 min) mp3/npr/atc/2010/08/ _atc_06.mp3?orgId=1&topicI d=1136&aggIds= &dl=1&_kip_ipx= Secondary link:

WORKS CITED These are the sources used: "Primary and Secondary Sources.". Ithaca College Library, n.d. Web. 3 Sep Shapiro, Joseph, writ. "Forgotten Ship: A Daring Rescue As Saigon Fell." National Public Radio: 31 Aug Web. 29 Aug "What is a Primary Source.". Princeton University. Web. 3 Sep