Research Guides Homepage: Archival Resources: Finding Primary Sources

Locating Primary Resources at ASU

The primary source material is located on the 2nd Floor in the Levi Watkins Learning Center.

You can search for primary source material in two ways:

The library catalog - use keywords about the topic
The finding aids -
- Finding aids are located within the Archives, but can be requested via email. Send requests to archives @alasu.edu.

Watch this short video to understand more about finding aids. Although ASU Archives' finding aids are not identical to the one in the video, all finding aids have the same general outline.

Primary Sources in ASU Archives

Commonly Used Primary Source Material

Vertical Files
- A variety of items (newspaper clippings, short excerpts from publications, etc.) housed in filing cabinets
Photographs - Print and Digital
Oral Histories

Other Primary Source Material

Rare Books
Microfilm & Microfiche
Manuscripts

Local Institutions

Below is a list of some of the local institutions that house primary sources related to Alabama topics. This list does not cover all of the local institutions but serves as a starting point.

Institutions that House Primary Sources

University and Public Libraries
Local Churches
Local and State Historical Societies
Museums
State Archives
Corporate Archives
Town Records
Local Schools
Local Community Members

Source

Rosenzweig, Roy. "Primary Sources: What Are They?" Teaching History. Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, n.d. Web. 27 June 2017.