Definition of “Primary Resource” (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
A primary resource is an original, first-hand account or physical artifact created at the time of the event or topic being studied.
- Direct Evidence: They provide raw, uninterpreted data or direct testimony from people who witnessed or participated in an event.
- Contemporaneous: They are usually created during the time period under investigation, though memoirs or oral histories recorded later can also count.
- No Intermediaries: They lack analytical distance, showing events as they unfolded rather than reviewing them after the fact.
Getting Started
- Credo Reference
- An excellent resource for potential ideas and background information on a topic you have already identified
Photos
Books (and Book Chapters)
E-Books
- Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
- Encyclopedia of American Studies
- Encyclopedia of Latino Culture
- Queer Brown Voices
- Strength In Numbers
- 50 Events that Shaped Latino History
Scholarly Journals
Video
Digital Collections
- Bracero History Archive (images, documents, oral histories)
- Calisphere (images, texts, recordings)
- The Documented Border (images, audio, text)
- Hispanic Life in America (news media)
- Latina(o) Cultural Heritage Archives Collection (photographs, documents)
- Latin American Histories in the United States
- LLILAS Benson Digital Collections and Content
- National Archives: Hispanic/Latino Heritage
- Latin American Studies: The NPR Archive
- Poverty and Inequality: Social Justice and Culture
Newspapers
- Nexis Uni
- If you have problems with Nexis Uni (it asks you to login) try the following:
- Clear your browser history
- Search incognito
- Above the photo banner on the Latinx Studies Resources website, are 2 tabs “Key Resources” and “Newspapers.” Both of those tabs include links to Nexis Uni. Try those links.
- If you have problems with Nexis Uni (it asks you to login) try the following:
- Hispanic American Newspapers
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Using Primary Resources
If you need assistance accessing materials or have questions, please email the Latinx Studies Librarian, Lisa Romero, at l-romero@illinois.edu or use the “Ask a Librarian” Chat on our website!