Primary Source Material in Historical Research MENC - Anaheim 2010

Research Process Historical research—to me—involves putting together very small pieces to a very large puzzle We are like detectives looking for as much evidence as we can find to tell the story or make our case Sources will depend on type of research (e.g., chronological narrative, biography, or content analysis)

Primary Sources I Often Use Newspaper articles School yearbooks and periodicals School Board minutes & Supt. annual reports Publications related to music, education, or Music Ed. Textbooks & other instructional materials

Newspaper Articles Very useful for a chronological narrative and may be the only historical record left. Available on microfilm in local public libraries Newspaper archives – Univ. of IL archives – State Library of Michigan, or Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library – Springfield IL) – Good for looking a papers from many different locations Online – find articles by keyword rather than hours of combing through microfilm – Proquest Historical Newspapers (NY Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.) – Must be accessed through a Univ. or public library that pays for the service – Pay sites available to the public – smaller publications – Free sites Chronicling America – Library of Congress Some individual newspapers now digitizing past issues For links to digital newspapers, see University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or Cornell University Library web site

School Yearbooks & Periodicals Periodicals – Early 20 th century – Monthly – May often a special issue called the “annual”. What we think of as a yearbook Often included a daily calendar of events – Find event and search local newspaper for details Excellent source for photos, personnel, instrumentation, director, repertoire, etc. Check at the local school or public library Local antique or vintage bookstores, or online $

School Records/Reports Board Minutes Tedious to comb through Good source if you have the date of a particular event May be light on details Supt. Annual Reports Available for larger public school districts and private institutions in the 19 th & early 20 th centuries – See Google Books – Univ. & State Libraries Schools almost always open to a historian visiting the school. Often very helpful in finding materials, allowing photocopying, etc. – Make sure you send a copy of your research when it is finished!

Music/Ed./Music Ed. Publications School Music – Available on Google Books ( ) – Available on Hathi Trust Digital Library ( ) Etude, Metronome, Jacobs Band Monthly – Univ. Libraries Music Supervisors/Educators Journal – Now available on JSTOR and SAGE from vol. 1 (1914) Proceedings of Music Supervisors’ National Conference and Music Teachers National Association – A limited number are available on Google Books Proceedings of National Education Association and various state associations – Several editions available on Internet Archive & Google Books

Textbook & Instructional Materials Important for Content Analysis School song books Instrumental method books College methods textbooks Sources – Some available on inter library loan – Many available on Google Books. Can be printed from PDF files Normal Music Course (Tufts/Holt), National Music Course (LW Mason) Grade School Music Teaching & High School Music Teaching by T. P. Giddings Build your own collection – Antique stores, flea markets, vintage bookstores, Borders Market Place and other online used book sources – These articles are usually very reasonable b/c of limited market. Don’t pay a lot. (I have sometimes paid more for shipping than for the item itself)

Closing Thoughts The search for primary sources is ongoing – I usually have studies in mind and keep an eye out for materials over a long period of time – The search can begin online – see article in recent History SRIG newsletter or JHRME (Oct. 2009) – BUT…online research will never replace digging through file cabinets, libraries, and archives These notes are available on my web site at or I will be happy to them to you Thank You!!

Links Chronicling America (newspapers) Links to digital newspapers – Cornell University Library web site – Univ. of IL Newspaper Archives Hathi Trust Digital Library - Internet Archive ( Google Books -