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Pursuing Primary Sources

A guide to historical and data research.

Reflection

Imagine ten years from now you’ve become famous.

  • What has been collected about your life?
  • What has been lost?
  • What important events from your life didn’t produce primary sources?

Collecting Primary Sources

For primary sources to be available for us to find, they first need to be collected and preserved. When considering what might exist on your topic, ask the following questions:

  • What gets saved, collected, and preserved?
  • What is lost to disaster, damage or bad luck?
  • Who is collecting, preserving or studying it?
  • When sources are collected and preserved, are they digitized?
  • Who is funding it?

Let's explore how the questions defined above play out in a real example. Click next to learn about the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal.