Primary sources are materials that provide firsthand testimony or the closest evidence to a subject under investigation. Researchers often use these firsthand accounts of specific events, or direct investigations to understand events from the viewpoint of people living during that time period. Primary sources include letters, diaries, photographs, newspaper articles, and pamphlets.
To find primary sources via Google, try adding keywords like journals, papers, letters, documents, primary sources, documentary history, maps, or archives to your search terms.
The Gordon Library Archives are a great resource for primary sources. To learn more about the Archives' collections or to schedule a visit to the Archives, please e-mail archives@wpi.edu.
Many primary source documents are republished in books, or even referenced within books on historical topics. To find these books, search WPI Library Search for books about your topic and add keywords like journals, papers, letters, documents, or documentary history to your search terms.
Candid Science: Conversations with Famous Chemists by 
Candid Science III: More Conversations with Famous Chemists by 
A Documentary History of Biochemistry, 1770-1940 by 
A Hammer in Their Hands: A Documentary History of Technology and the African-American Experience by