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History

What is a Primary Source?

Provo, Utah, c. 1920sA primary source in history is a document or artifact created during the time under study. Some examples of primary sources include:

  • Political documents
  • Speeches
  • Oral histories
  • Letters and correspondence
  • Memoirs, diaries, and journals
  • Personal or business papers, reports, etc.
  • Pamphlets
  • Cartoons, artwork, or photographs
  • Newspaper or magazine articles
  • Advertisements

(Image: Provo, Utah, c. 1920s, from the Larson Studio Negative Collection via Mountain West Digital Library)

Finding Primary Sources at the Fulton Library

To find primary sources in the library's collections, search OneSearch (see below) by combining a search term for your topic with a type of primary source document. It can be helpful to limit your search to books.

Some examples of searches include:

  • "American Revolution" AND documents
  • Patton AND papers
  • Vietnam AND "oral history"
  • "Underground Railroad" AND letters
  • Lincoln AND correspondence
  • secession AND pamphlet
  • Overland AND diary
  • plague AND source

OneSearch

OneSearch logoOneSearch is the Fulton Library's main database. It allows you to search the library's articles, books, streaming media, and more. OneSearch includes resources on almost every topic, making it a great place to start your research!

To use OneSearch, go to the UVU Fulton Library Homepage link below. OneSearch is the main search box on the page. Enter search terms into the box, then hit enter or click the magnifying glass. Once your search runs, you can filter your results clicking the All Filters button that appears below the search box. 

Library Help

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  • Call: 801.863.8840
  • Text: 801.290.8123