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HIST 203: Childhood, Health and the Formation of US Social Policy: Finding Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources?

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For historical research, the phrase "primary sources" refers to items that were created at the time an event occurred usually by direct observers or participants. Primary sources are not limited to traditional text-based documents such as newspaper articles and journal entries; photographs, posters, audio recordings, video clips, books, and more can all serve as primary sources if they are used as evidence of the time in which they were created. It's not about the source type...it's about how the source is used for your research.

Public Health-related Government Documents

Primary Source Databases

History and Political Science Librarian

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Joe Easterly
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Contact:
Learning Initiatives
106 Rush Rhees Library
716-650-0234
Website

DiscoverUR Bookmarklet

Search DiscoverUR from Anywhere
This bookmarklet lets you search the UR Libraries' Collections (DiscoverUR) from any webpage. Just highlight text (like a book title, ISBN, or topic) and click the button in your bookmarks bar.

To install: drag the DiscoverUR button below to your bookmarks bar.

DiscoverUR

Find@UR

What is Find@UR?

Find@UR is the University of Rochester’s OpenURL resolver service. It takes citation information—like the title, author, journal name, or ISBN—and tries to link you to a full-text copy of the resource, if available through the library.

You’ll see Find@UR links throughout many of our online tools, especially in Indexes and Abstracts, where full text isn't always included. Use these links to check for access or request items through Interlibrary Loan if needed.