He/She Says
Firsthand or autobiographical sources provide a glimpse into the personality and point of view of the biographical figure. Obviously, these accounts are subject to the biases and philosophies held by the individual, as well as his or her self-image. Following are some resources that will help you in locating these important primary snapshots.
- Collected free online collections developed for historical consideration
- Digitized collections of the personal papers/correspondence of the individual, often maintained by museums that have been connected to that person by location or profession. Nationally, the collections located at the Smithsonian offer access to the personal papers of many individuals significant in American History. Locate others using web search engines such as google or clusty.
- Digitized archives developed by libraries, organizations or local historical agencies with specific interest in an individual. Find state resources through the Council of State Archivists. Locate other archival collections using web search engines.
- Primary source collections maintained available through subscriptions, such as eLibrary and SIRS Knowledge Source (locate using web search engines).
- Autobiographies written by the individual themselves or in partnership with a ghost writer (located by the call number 921/subject's last name).
The Public Says
Eye-witness and secondary sources produced by contemporaries of a biographical figure offer insight into that individual's social influence and public notoriety. News sources are not, as we often assume, entirely objective. Rather they are dependent on both writer biases and by the view point of the information sources they use. Following are resources that allow you to examine a person and the events/deeds for which they are known through an eye-witness perspective.
- Contemporary criticism (commentaries/opinions written by individuals who lived at the same time as the individual). These may have been published in electronic format as part of the public domain, in collections such as the Making of America that features 19th c. books and magazines. More well known titles may be available at a library locally.
- Government documents related to the activities in which the person was involved. Try online databases that include governmet documents, such as eLibrary, SIRS, or governmental archives such as The National Archives.
- Images (consider the role of a photographer in not only recording but also in shaping public view) available through collections such as AP Images.
- Historical news accounts available in collections such as Access Historical Newspapers (offering newspaper accounts from across the nation on a variety of topics), Historical New York Times (offering all content of the New York Times since it's first publication date), or the Times Magazine Cover Search.
History Says
Biographies and other historical analysis compiled by scholars after the unfolding of a person's life provide you with an opportunity to step back and study an individual as a whole. The authors of these works are not without their biases. Consider the political times and social mood during which the biographer or historian is writing. Following are several means by which you can locate historical analysis.
- Subject specific reference sources. Look for resources that offer detailed rather than general information, authored by historical experts.
- Biographies found individual biographies (921) and alphabetized by the last name of the subject (rather than the author).
- Biographies found in biographical anthologies (920), organized by theme/topic and shelved by author's last name. Use the library catalog to find topic/theme anthologies, and use the table of content to locate specific chapters or essays on the historical figure.
- Retrospective historical analysis that deals with subjects related to the subjects life after the passage of time. For example, the impact of John Dewey on American education would likely be found in a historical overview/analysis of American educational practices). Locate historical analysis using the library catalog. Use the index in the back of the book to find specific references to the historical figure you are researching.
- Current historical criticism online, available through resources such as Decades, ABC-Clio American History, e-Library History Center.
What Do YOU Say?
Historical scholars consider all of these types of resources (primary, contemporary secondary, and existing historical analysis) in developing their own theories about the impact of an historical figure on the events that occurred around and after them.
More Perspective ...
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