Primary Sources for Online Learning

An archives is a repository that collects original, unique, and rare materials that have enduring historical and research value.

An archives stores its materials in acid-free, archivally-safe folders and boxes in secure, climate-controlled spaces, ensuring long-term preservation of its collections.

An archives provides access to its collections, with staff pulling materials for people to use in a reading room, research room, or other public space.

Finding Materials

• Libraries have catalogs where one catalog record describes one item, such as a book.
• Archives have finding aids (written guides) that describe collections or groups of materials, not single items.
• You can quickly pinpoint an item in a library, but you may need to sort through many boxes of materials in an archives to find exactly what you want. Always allow yourself extra time to do archival research!

Accessing Materials

• Libraries have "open stacks."
• Archives have "closed stacks."
• You may browse the shelves in a library but not in an archives, where you need to make requests of the archives staff to bring you materials to view.

Material that contains firsthand accounts of events and that was created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness. (SAA Glossary)

Video: Primary Sources

Examples of Primary Sources
Autobiographies
Diaries
Letters
Memoranda
Newspaper articles published during the time period
Photographs
Records of organizations
Scrapbooks
Speeches

A work that is not based on direct observation of or evidence directly associated with the subject, but instead relies on sources of information. A work commenting on another work (primary sources), such as reviews, criticism, and commentaries. (SAA Glossary)

Video: Secondary Sources

Examples of Secondary Sources
Biographies
Book reviews
Critical and analytical works
History books
Newspaper articles published after the time period
Reference books, such as encyclopedias
Textbooks

1. Contact the archives in advance to schedule an appointment.
2. Sign in when you arrive at the archives.
3. Leave your bags and other belongings in a locker.
4. Do not bring food, drinks, gum, or pens into the archives.
5. Please ask before taking photographs of archival materials.
6. Ask questions of the archives staff. Archivists are here to help!

1. Lay materials flat on the table.
2. Do not remove materials from their folders.
3. Carefully turn pages.
4. Maintain the original order of materials within their folders.
5. Handle materials with clean, dry hands.

Citing physical item: 
Brief item description. Collection name, box number, folder number. Repository name.

Example: Citywide Coordinating Council daily monitoring report for Brighton High School by Nancy Mitchell, November 21, 1975. W. Arthur Garrity, Jr. chambers papers on the Boston Schools Desegregation Case, box 7, folder 91. University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.
 

Citing digital item:
Brief item description. Collection name. Repository name. Item URL. Date accessed.

Example: Mosaic: By the Students of South Boston High School, spring 1981. University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/p15774coll34/id/151/rec/2. Accessed 21 July 2020.
 

See also the following style guides for citing archival material:
APA Style
Chicago Manual of Style
MLA Style

University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston was established in 1981 as a repository to collect archival material in subject areas of interest to the university, as well as the records of the university itself.

The mission and history of the University of Massachusetts Boston guide the collection policies of University Archives and Special Collections, with the university’s urban mission and strong support of community service reflected in the records of and related to urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, war and social consequence, and local history related to neighboring communities.

Click the links below to browse the finding aids in each of our collection categories.

Do you have questions about archives or primary source research? Our archivists are here to help! Please contact us at library.archives@umb.edu and we will follow up with you directly.