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German Studies

Resources for Finding Primary Sources in German Studies

Finding primary sources can be tricky as most of them are housed in archives across the world. Only a small percentage of the existing primary sources have been digitized and made available online. Below are some good places to start when looking for primary sources. 

This is only a selection of the resources available for finding primary sources. If you need help, please make an appointment with me and I'd be happy to work with you. 

Find Diaries, Journals, Memoirs, Letters, and Autobiographies at Wallace Library

Information on Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary sources are records of events created as they occurred, or recorded by eye witnesses. They come in many formats, including letters and email; journals, diaries, and memoirs; audio recordings; photographs; audio recordings; and much more. Created by Shonn M. Haren, 2015. CC BY 4.0

A Secondary Source takes the accounts of multiple eyewitnesses or Primary Sources and creates a record that considers an event from many points of view. Secondary sources provide objectivity because multiple points of view help mitigate bias and provide a broader perspective. They also provide context; their historical distance helps explain an event's significance. Common examples include: books, scholarly articles, documentaries, and many other formats.

Created by Shonn M. Haren, 2015. CC BY 4.0