Correspondence

First president Abram Sachar

Faculty such as Lawrence Fuchs

University photographs

Commencement photos

Campus aerials

Drawings and maps

Building plans

Campus maps

An explanation of what makes a primary source using the five “W’s”:

Who

Primary sources are created, sometimes unwittingly, by observers, witnesses or recorders. They are recorded FIRST HAND, and in FIRST PERSON. A handed-down story or a compilation or interpretation is not a primary source.

What

A primary source is testimony or direct evidence in the form of anything from documents (diaries, interviews, footage, letters, minutes, official records, inscribed tablets), to creative works (novels, music, poetry, art) to artifacts (tools, pottery, furniture).

When

Ideally, primary sources are created at or near the time of the event or situation. But primary sources can also be created at a later date, and may be found as autobiographies, memoirs or oral histories. It is important to remember that documentation created at a much later date may be skewed due to the effects of time and may be less trustworthy.

Where

Primary sources can be found in any format: they could be anything from loose letters to published formats or may even have been microfilmed or digitized. “Primary source” refers to the content, not the format you may find it in. Archives and Special Collections departments are rich in primary material.

Why

While primary sources can be created for any number of reasons, and they are, it is important to consider any motives the documentarian had in creating the source. This may reveal any bias in the material, or simply help to interpret it better.