Before you ask your students to do primary source searching, explore some of the suggestions I have for you on this guide in order to get an idea of what is available. Pay special attention to:
- Dates of coverage - most databases provide access to broad time periods. Warn your students to check dates as they look at documents.
- Language - All of the databases in this guide include English materials, but not exclusively so.
- Format - Coverage of a topic in a diary is going to be very different than in a newspaper or a government document. Choose a database that includes the perspectives you want to explore and adjust search terms accordingly.
The UT Libraries is home to 800 databases. We spend $18 million a year on these collections. That's more than all but 9 libraries in the the US. I'm mentioning this because having access to this material represents an information privilege that comes with ethical considerations. I'm also mentioning this because if you have a hard time selecting resources to search, ask me and I'll help you, the teacher, out.
