Searching for archival materials and primary sources can often feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start.
ASU Library’s archives tutorial helps demystify the process and provides practical guidance when navigating primary resources for class projects or scholarly research.
ASU students and researchers have access to millions of information resources, including primary sources such as manuscripts, maps, artifacts and more. Primary sources are unique, and researching these materials often requires different skills and search strategies.
“From letters and historic photographs to rare books and documents, understanding how to search for primary sources in ASU Library collections is key to unlocking research into different time periods and disciplines,” said Allinston Saulsberry, an instruction and outreach librarian.
“We want to help our students to feel confident in finding and evaluating primary sources for their research.”
The project was spearheaded by Saulsberry, along with contributions from a team of librarians, archivists, curators and instructional designers. What started as a lesson plan is now a sustainable self-directed tutorial.
Introduction to Archives: Using Primary Sources for Research is available for students to take on their own time, or for faculty, instructors and designers to embed the tutorial directly into courses through Canvas.
“This tutorial is an avenue of inquiry for any researcher; it encourages critical thinking and engagement with primary sources," said Saulsberry. “Students have complex research questions that require them to interact with primary sources sooner than usual. We hope that this tool guides them and our ASU communities through their discoveries.”
Need library instruction?
The information literacy program is designed to aid in the development of course materials and content, promote critical thinking and engagement and help students build research and source evaluation skills. Request Library Instruction.