Acing Your Northwest History Project with Sources from the

Washington State Library

Mary P. Schaff

Reference LibrarianWashington State LibraryOffice of the Secretary of State

About the Washington State Library

• Established by the Organic Act in 1853

• Operated under the Secretary of State since 2003

• Official Federal and State Depository Library

• Current Collections Focus on Washington State and the Northwest

• Located in Tumwater

History Sources Lab• In small groups, examine the documents

and answer these questions:– What is it?

• Think about: Who wrote it? When was it written? What is the subject?

– Why was it written?• Think about: Who did the author write it for? What

did he/she want to accomplish?

– What are three things we can determine about society at the time this document was written?

Primary Sources

Definitions of

Primary Sources– Firsthand evidence of

historical events– Original records created

at/near the time of the event

– Personal connections to the past

Examples

Letters

Diaries

Manuscripts

Government documents

Photographs

Oral Histories

Autobiographies

Newspapers

Maps

Secondary Sources

Definition of

Secondary Sources– Accounts of the past

written at a later time– Interpretation or

synthesis of primary sources

– Created by historians

Examples

Textbooks

Journal articles

Encyclopedias

Monographs

Book Reviews

Editorials

Wikipedia

Identifying Sources• Remember: some

sources can have both primary and secondary characteristics

• Primary and Secondary sources are NOT mutually exclusive

• Think of sources on a Primary/Secondary continuum

Primary Resources at the Washington State Library

Classics in Washington History

• Collection includes: letters, diaries, biographies, gov’t documents, and more

• Online (and onsite)

• Full text

• Searchable

Primary Resources at the Washington State Library

Historical Maps

•Collection includes state, federal, and local maps

•Online (and some onsite)

•Sort by Time Period and Type of Map

Government Documents as Primary Sources

• Federal and State Documents• Variety of document types and formats

– Reports– Maps– Census Records– Materials for the general public

• Online and Onsite– Catalog

Newspapers: the Goldmine of Primary Sources

Historical Newspapers in Washington

•Full text

•Searchable

•Subject headings

More About Newspapers

• Present day accounts of the news

• Rich details, opinions– What about Facts?

• Only really old or really new newspapers are available online full text

• Washington papers for any year are available on microfilm at the State Library

• Newspaper research is easier with an Index

Newspaper Sources/Indexes

• Indexes Available at the Washington State Library– Paper indexes– Name/Subject Card File– Vertical file and Clippings boxes– WPA Territorial and Early Washington Newspaper

Index on microfilm– Online Index to the Olympian– ProQuest database– NewsBank

Secondary Sources at the Washington State Library

• Monographs (books)– Catalog

• Refine your search skills

• Browse special collections

• Link to digital books

• Periodicals (journals)– articles on Northwest

history– Bibliographies for further

reading

Helpful Resources for both Primary and Secondary sources

History Day Topic Guide

Guide to primary sources in Archives and Libraries across the state, including the State Library•Use the subject or time period index to browse the topics

Helpful Resources for both Primary and Secondary sources

Washington Rural Heritage•Collections from Washington Rural Libraries•Includes both primary and secondary sources

-Local histories

-Ephemera

-Photographs

Putting It All Together• Ideas for incorporating

primary sources into your projects– Illustrate your argument

with testimony from a witness

– Compare first hand accounts

– Biographical case study– Compare interpretations of

an historical event

Getting Help• Ask a Librarian

– On our website• Chat• Email• Call

– On our blog• IM

– Via Facebook• Mary Schaff

• When You Ask for Help– What have you tried so

far?– Be specific about what

you need– Let us know about your

time table– Sometimes information

doesn’t exist in the format you’re looking for

Acing Your Northwest History Project with Sources from the

Washington State Library

Presentation available online at Slideshare.net

Thank you!