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Find Primary and Secondary Sources

What are primary and secondary sources, and how can you find them?

New and Recommended Books Containing Primary Sources

Finding Books with Primary Sources

To find MVCC libraries' many books that contain reproductions of primary records, use MVCC's online catalog and try the following tips using the Advanced Search:

  • On the first row , select "All fields" from the drop-down menu and type search keywords for your topic in the search box.  On the second row, select "Subject" from the drop-down menu and type the word sources in the search box.
  • Or – Enter search keywords for your topic in the row marked “All fields.” Change the next row to also say “All fields,” and in that row, enter the following phrase: documents or documentary.
  •  Or – Enter search keywords for your topic in the row marked “All fields,” and in the row marked “Subject,” enter one of the following terms: diaries, correspondence, manuscripts, oratory, personal narratives.

 

Other keywords that you can add to your subject include:

autobiography

letters

correspondence

memoir

diary

oral history

documentary history

report

interviews

speeches

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